Director and General
by Ale Sieben
Summary: After being locked up in a coffin by Hojo and Lucrecia, Vincent wakes up to find that they're both dead and Sephiroth is alive and well. After a bit of coercion Rufus and Veld, Vincent decides to rejoin the Turks as Head of the Department. Things go rather well until Vincent starts getting hot flashes and Sephiroth says he wants to be friends.
1. Reminiscence

**Story Notes:**

Since this is an AU, some characters might come out different than in the original set of events, but I'll still try not to deviate too much from canon behaviour.

This is all set around four years after the original game starts, although almost none of the events in the Compilation have taken place here. Sephiroth didn't go insane because of Jenova, a lot of characters that died during Crisis Core and afterwards are alive, and some died earlier. Some won't even appear throughout, at least not physically-they might get a mention here and there but it's not my intention to bring back everyone from Cloud's team into this.

A note regarding Aerith and Sephiroth's names. I had Sephiroth take Gast's last name (I'm assuming Faremis is his last name and not his given name-even if that's not the case, I'm not going to change it later on) while choosing Gainsborough to be Ifalna's last name. Aerith takes her mother's last name over her father's because she wants to continue the Cetra line. Elmyra won't be making an appearance in this story for obvious reasons but I didn't want to change Aerith's name.

Standard disclaimer applies: I own nothing but the plot bunnies hopping around. All characters and previous scenarios belong to Square-Enix, Nomura-sama and Kojima-sensei.

**Chapter Summary:**

Overwhelmed with the plans for security for the upcoming Energy Summit in Modeoheim, Vincent remembers how he got where he is right now. Way out from left field, Sephiroth invites him for drinks and strange hot flashes begin to bother the otherwise cool Director of the Turks.

—

Vincent Valentine pressed the button on the elevator's keypad that would take it to his office's floor and slumped against the cool glass surface of the carriage that overlooked Midgar, heaving a tired and annoyed sigh. He knew he shouldn't have accepted the position of Director of the Turks; bureaucratic work really wasn't his forte. However, with Veld past the age of retiring and Tseng being assigned as Rufus Shinra's bodyguard, there really wasn't anyone else. Sure, he could have declined Rufus's offer and let the department, along with all its employees, in the hands of Heidegger, but that would've been unconscionable to say the least. Despite any misgivings Vincent might have about the company he found himself working for once again, his loyalty to his fellow Turks ran deep. Nearly thirty years in a coffin could and would not change that fact.

Then there was the whole mess that led him to the aforementioned coffin, of course. He had been awoken not four years before from a forced slumber imposed upon him by Professors Hojo and Lucrecia Crescent after they killed him and then saw fit to experiment on him, turning him into something that was both less and more human. He had somehow summed it up by thinking he became more than a human in gaining Galian and Chaos at the expense of some of his basic humanity. It was a weird concept, at any rate, and if thirty years of solitude hadn't helped him come to a logic conclusion no extra amount of time would help, so he'd rather not dwell on it much. Except he was reminded of it daily—whenever he looked in the mirror he was aware of the fact that his body did not age, eternally stuck shy of thirty years old. And then there were both Galian and Chaos's thoughts and memories meshing with his.

Not a lot of people knew about his unfortunate fate at the hands of two of Shinra's top scientists. There was Rufus, who of course had access to all company files, and Veld knew because Vincent had been his partner prior to disappearing and he felt no need to hide his condition from him. Cloud Strife and Kunsel Larouche, both Soldiers Second Class, had found out the hard way during their trek from Nibelheim to Rocket Town after the younger men found Vincent at the old Shinra Mansion and were ordered to bring him back to Midgar. They had run into a pack of Nibel wolves and during the struggle Vincent found himself losing control of Galian and transforming in front of the younger men. Luckily, Vincent had gained a modicum of sway over the beast and managed to subdue him after the wolves were disposed of. Cloud and Kunsel had read some of Hojo's files on Vincent back at the mansion and understood where the change came from; that, along with Vincent's reassurances that Galian had come forth only because the gunman was still weakened from all the time spent in a coffin, put the young Soldiers at ease.

Lastly, the four Soldiers First Class—Sephiroth Faremis, Angeal Hewley, Genesis Rhapsodos, and Zack Fair—had been briefed when the decision to rehire Vincent had been made. Cloud, being Zack's close friend, had been there to make sure they understood the need for secrecy and to vouch for Vincent's mental stability. All in all, that meeting went rather well, except for the fact that Vincent felt Sephiroth paying him close attention ever since.

This was bothersome for Vincent for a simple reason: it was Sephiroth's biological parents who played around with him and then left him to rot in a coffin for almost three decades. And they had done it because Vincent had the misfortune of falling in love with Lucrecia without knowing she was Hojo's wife. It had been terrible for Vincent to find this out, but it was nothing compared to the horror and disgust he felt when he found out they were behind the Jenova Project and were planning to use themselves and their child as guinea pigs.

Taking a stand against the woman he loved and her deranged husband had gotten him nowhere; he was killed, revived, and turned into something not quite human and, once they were done with him, Lucrecia and Hojo went ahead and played god with their unborn son. A son who grew up to be quite possibly the best fighter and strategist the world had ever seen, not to mention an unfairly attractive man. Intelligent and witty, it was a joy to hear the man talk with anyone, whether subalterns, peers, or superiors. Fortunately, he seemed to have dodged a biological bullet by not inheriting his parents' crazy and malicious streak.

Speaking of Sephiroth's parents, Vincent wasn't ashamed to admit that he was glad they were both dead. His juvenile love for her notwithstanding, Vincent couldn't muster an ounce of sadness for Lucrecia's dead shortly after Sephiroth's birth. As for Hojo, an Avalanche raid had claimed his life some fifteen years after he'd consigned Vincent to his coffin, leaving Sephiroth in the care of Professor Gast Faremis, who the Turks had tracked down under President Shinra's orders.

Gast returned to Midgar with his wife Ifalna Gainsborough and Aerith, their thirteen-year-old daughter, and adopted Sephiroth as his own. It wasn't easy, but Gast and his family were able to undo the damage Hojo had inflicted on his son's psyche, allowing him to become Shinra's top ranking general without losing his sanity or humanity. In fact, Sephiroth had grown very fond of his adoptive family, even adopting Gast's last name as his own, as well as Ifalna's respect for the life of the Planet. Having Angeal and Genesis close by helped, as well, as they had fallen victim to Shinra's Science Department's experiments at the hands of Professor Hollander and knew what Sephiroth'd had to endure growing up in the clutches of a madman.

The three of them—Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis—quickly climbed the ranks of Shinra's army and became a tight-knit troupe capable of dealing with whatever the company required of them. By the time they were in their late twenties, they were joined by Zack Fair and together they trained and led the best army Shinra had ever seen. They ended the Wutai conflict swiftly and with minimal loses for both sides, ensuring Shinra's continued growth and development. It was after this that President Shinra passed away, leaving the company in Rufus Shinra's hands.

Just like Sephiroth, Rufus had grown up largely influenced by Professor Faremis and Ifalna's ideology regarding the Planet. Ever since he was a teenager he heard them tell his father about the dangers of syphoning and processing mako. While his father continuously ignored their warnings in favour of lining his pockets with money, Rufus listened to them intently and took their words to heart. This led him to spend some years at Cosmo Canyon under Bugenhagen's tutelage. After his father's death, Rufus returned to Migdar to take over as Shinra's president and one of his first moves was to vow to find alternate energy sources to mako in order to stop draining the life of the Planet. For this he enlisted the help of Reeve Tuesti, relieving him from his position as Director of Urban Development and appointing him as head of the newly created Research and Development Department. Rufus instructed Reeve to work closely with the Science Department, and he asked Ifalna and Aerith to join the R&D area as consultants, along with Shalua Rui and Bugenhagen.

It was around this time that Rufus ordered Lazard Deusericus, his half-brother on his father's side, to launch a clean-up mission of all Shinra owned properties, particularly those used by the Science Department. Rufus was aware that stopping mako extraction would take its toll on the four Soldiers First Class, since their training and development included the use of the substance in order to enhance their abilities. Shinra was a large company and by no means devoid of enemies, and Rufus wasn't about to let his elite force be taken from him as a side effect of his efforts to preserve the life of the Planet. Besides, he more or less grew up alongside Sephiroth and considered him a close friend, and he didn't want him or the other three to suffer needlessly.

Lazard sent Cloud and Kunsel to inspect the Shinra Mansion at Nibelheim. Cloud had been born and raised in Nibelheim so he was well acquainted with the town and its surrounding areas, making him the ideal candidate for the mission. Kunsel was sent with him at Zack's request; the young First was close friends with both Seconds and he had more or less taken it upon himself to look after Cloud given that the younger man had difficulties making it into the Soldier program. Cloud appreciated Zack's concern and welcomed Kunsel's presence because visiting his hometown was distressing for him ever since his mother passed away two years earlier during a fire that consumed most of the town. The fact that Shinra had repaired the city in record time and no trace of the fire remained made Cloud even more uneasy, because it made it seem as if nothing had happened and his entire childhood had been a fantasy of sorts.

While checking the mansion, the Soldiers found tons of files left behind by Hojo and Lucrecia. Most of them pertained to the Jenova Project but there were a couple that spoke of another experiment conducted by the couple. Following a cryptic message left behind by Hojo, Cloud found a room filled with coffins and in one of them he found Vincent. Although disoriented, Vincent found something familiar about Cloud. Upon hearing the youth's name, he realised he'd met Cloud's mother during his assignment at Nibelheim. She was one of the few townspeople who wasn't afraid of him for being a Turk and was kind to him. This led Vincent to spend a good deal of time with her whenever he had free time from his obligations to the scientists at the mansion; he even helped patch up her roof before a particularly nasty rainstorm.

Cloud vaguely remembered his mother mentioning a well-mannered Turk who spent several months in the village before mysteriously vanishing. She brought him up whenever a rainstorm came, and now he knew why. Hearing this and other stories made Cloud instantly warm up to Vincent. When the former Turk told him some of his ordeal at hands of Hojo and his wife, Cloud felt guilty about having to take him back to Midgar even if both scientists were now dead. Vincent, however, didn't seem to mind and even appeared curious about the prospect.

In truth, Vincent wanted answers as to Sephiroth's upbringing as well as the fate of the Turks. He was largely relieved to find things had turned out as best as possible under the circumstances and was prepared to try to find his place in society after twenty-eight years of limbo.

However, things wouldn't be so easy.

He began feeling ill a few days after arriving in Midgar and he had no idea what was wrong. He was still at Shinra Headquarters awaiting debriefing with at least two departments so he had no choice but to go to the labs to try to find medical assistance. Thankfully for him, Professor Faremis was in and agreed to be his attending physician. After extensive physical exams and with help from Hojo's notes, they found out that Vincent's body was going through a circadian rhythm readjustment. Basically, after nearly thirty years of sleeping round the clock with far and in between periods of wakefulness, Vincent's metabolism was trying to get used to a regular day-and-night cycle. Since he wasn't technically ill, there was no real cure and all he had to do was wait it out. Gast insisted on keeping him in the medical wing of the Shinra Building but Vincent refused to be kept anywhere that resembled a lab or a hospital. Understanding his reluctance, Gast cleared things with Rufus and Vincent was provided a room in one of the residential floors of the building.

It took him six months to be able to sleep for more than fifteen minutes at a time, and to do so at night and not at random times during the day. It was another two months before the nightmares featuring Hojo, Lucrecia, and a rampaging Galian accompanied by a bloodthirsty Chaos receded. Three more months before he taught his body that three meals a day were a necessity and not punishment; all the same, he still forgot to eat sometimes, which resulted in his collapsing several times in his office. He still couldn't spend large amounts of time under direct sunlight without sunscreen or clothes that covered most of his body, and he had to recur to sleeping pills at least once a week, but all in all he was functional once more about a year after his return to the land of the living.

In that time he had managed to reach a mutually beneficial agreement with Chaos. Vincent would allow him a few hours a week to take over his body and stretch his limbs far away from innocent bystanders; in return, Chaos would tame Galian and keep him dormant so he wouldn't try to take over Vincent's body unless the gunman needed his strength for whatever reason.

Once he was deemed "cured", Vincent was called to a meeting with Rufus, Lazard, Veld, and Gast. Apparently, they all wanted Vincent to return to Shinra's ranks as Director of the Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department. He tried to refuse without even hearing their offer, but Veld played the 'we used to be partners' card and he was forced to at least hear them out. He was promised a good salary and mostly clerical work with minimal field labor, as well as free rein to investigate anything pertaining to the experiments performed on him. Gast also promised to help him out with whatever health issues that might arise further down the road and assured him that only he, Gast, and his most trusted associates would have access to Vincent himself and to his files.

Vincent had planned to leave Shinra and to spend his time researching everything he could about Chaos. During the physical exams conducted by Professor Faremis, it had been discovered that Lucrecia had grafted protomateria unto Vincent's body in order to stabilise the Weapon. After talking things over with Chaos, Vincent found out that the protomateria was growing weak and would have to be recharged to avoid potentially life threatening conditions. He had no idea how to go about it, but having all of Shinra's resources at his disposal would make things considerably easier.

He was still pondering this when Veld decided to bring out the big guns by saying that if Vincent didn't take his position as Director of the Turks, the division would be handed over to Heidegger, Head of the Public Safety Maintenance Department. Vincent blanched; he knew Heidegger from before his imprisonment and had the misfortune of running into the beastly man several times since his return. Leaving the Turks in his hands was tantamount to a death sentence for each and every member, something Veld knew Vincent would do anything to avoid. Out of curiosity and, in a way, testing the waters in case he decided to leave Shinra at a later time, Vincent asked why Tseng couldn't take the job. Rufus was the one to answer, stating Veld's current second-in-command had been assigned as his bodyguard and, while he would continue most of his field duties as a Turk, his main assignment would be to keep Rufus safe, particularly in trips out of town.

Knowing he had been cornered by three of the men in the room, Vincent resigned himself to his fate and accepted the position of Director of the Turks. That had been nearly three years ago and, while he couldn't say that he truly regretted it, there were days when Vincent really wished he had said no.

Today was one of those days. It was only midday but he had already been in two meetings regarding Avalanche's attacks on Gongaga and Fort Condor. In spite of Rufus's assurances to the world that all of Shinra's mako reactors would be shutdown within the next five to seven years, Avalanche continued to target Shinra facilities the world over, causing enormous financial loses for the company, not to mention the unnecessary loss of innocent lives. Both he and Lazard were largely made responsible for this so he had to collaborate with him to try to come up with better strategies to protect Shinra's assets. Lazard was a very intelligent and capable man, which made their meetings bearable and even amicable, but the stress brought on by the knowledge that Avalanche seemed to always be one step ahead of them took a toll on everyone.

The second meeting he'd had was with Scarlet, Head of the Weapons Development Department, and Heidegger. After the deceased Hojo and Lucrecia, Scarlet and Heidegger were the people Vincent hated the most in all of Shinra—perhaps in the whole world. Scarlet was rude and cold hearted and seemed to delight in the destruction her weapons caused, not caring in the least that the initial spirit of her department was protection rather than extermination. As for Heidegger, he was brash, loud, and irritating, and hated the Turks with a passion. He used to be in charge of the military, but after Rufus took over the presidency, he passed the leadership of the military to Lazard and left Heidegger in charge of the Midgar Police Department only. Since then, Lazard had been added to Heidegger's long list of people he hated; Vincent made the list the second he was appointed Director of the Turks and not a day went by when Heidegger didn't find fault with the Head Turk's work.

This particular meeting had been long and specially stressful for Vincent because Scarlet wanted the Turks to try some new weapons that seemed shady at best, and Heidegger criticised each Turks' performance, deeming them nothing more than assassins for hire with no brains. Vincent had to find ways to deny Scarlet's request without incurring in her wrath while finding it within himself not to put three bullets between Heidegger's eyes. He cut the meeting short as soon as he could and rushed to the elevator to seek the comfort of his office.

He pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the elevator and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself. He had nearly achieved a neutral state when he felt the elevator jerk to a stop. With a frown, he looked to the door and saw it open eight stories before his floor to allow Sephiroth in. As it always happened when he was in the presence of the General, Vincent felt immediately uncomfortable. Not to seem rude, he nodded towards the younger man and mumbled a greeting; Sephiroth eyed him curiously and nodded back, not saying a word. After pressing the button for his floor, the silver haired man leaned on the wall opposite to Vincent, folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes.

In the almost four years since he'd been back to Midgar, Vincent had only spoken to Sephiroth during formal meetings. Whenever they met on hallways or elevators, they barely exchanged greetings. All the same, Vincent kept himself informed of Sephiroth's progress through several sources, mainly Cloud and the reports shared between the different departments. He would also ask about him to Professor Gast, given that they were officially family. A part of him still felt guilty for not being able to stop Hojo and Lucrecia for using themselves and their son as test subjects for their crazy theories but he couldn't get himself to even bring up the subject with the younger man.

Given this state of affairs, it was a surprise that Sephiroth decided to try his hand at small talk with the Head Turk.

"How did your meeting with Scarlet and Heidegger go, Director?"

Doing his best to seem unaffected by this deviation from their standard routine, Vincent shook his head minutely. "Neither of them is dead and neither am I, for that matter. I would claim it a success."

Anyone who said Vincent Valentine had no sense of humour had no idea what they were talking about. He even managed to make the General crack a smile.

"Indeed," Sephiroth said. "I wonder why Rufus keeps them around."

"He can't get rid of them until he can make sure that they won't be a threat to himself or the company in the future," Vincent replied. He had figured that out on his own upon his return and Rufus had confirmed it when Vincent had asked shortly after his appointment. "They're not as easily replaced as Palmer was. That lump of a man is an idiot and had no business being Head of the Space Program. Captain Highwind, on the other hand, is more than qualified."

Sephiroth looked at him with the same curious gaze he always seemed to have for him, but there was a certain appreciation in it, as well.

"I see. At any rate, Lazard tells me you have some interesting ideas regarding security for next month's summit on alternate energy sources."

"They need to be greatly refined," Vincent said, waving his hand in dismissal of what he thought of as misplaced flattery. "I'm going back to my office to work on them and send the revised plan to him before the workday is over."

"Any plans after that?"

Vincent had been looking out the window when Sephiroth's question came and he found himself whirling his head around faster and with more force than was wise. After the light dizzy spell passed, Vincent looked carefully at Sephiroth, trying to gauge the intention behind the question. Coming up empty, all he could do was reply.

"Not particularly. Just going home and trying to remember to have dinner before going to sleep. Professor Faremis will have my head if I skip any more meals before my next physical."

A small, fond smile curved Sephiroth's lips. "Father is rather strict with his patients, yes. Myself included."

"He cares for his patients' well-being; that's the mark of a good physician." He paused and, not knowing how else to follow that thread, he returned to Sephiroth's question. "What are your plans, General?"

"Ah. Well, I was hoping you could join me for drinks after work. We haven't talked much in these four years in spite of having quite a few things in common. I would like to remedy that, if you wouldn't mind."

Vincent tensed and averted his gaze from Sephiroth again. "Are you sure that's a good idea, General?"

"If you are worried about offending me in case your views about my biological parents should turn out as grim as those of pretty much everyone else who knew them, don't be. I am well aware of my origins, Director Valentine, and have no delusions about them. Besides, it seems like we will be working closely together in the near future and I would like to get to know you better."

Vincent turned to Sephiroth with a puzzled look. "Are they sending you to the summit? I thought Commander Rhapsodos had been assigned to represent Soldier."

The elevator came to a stop before Sephiroth could reply and the doors opened on Vincent's floor. He stopped them with his hand while awaiting the General's response.

"It appears so," Sephiroth said. "But it's best not to discuss it here. My invitation?"

Feeling increasingly curious, Vincent nodded. "Dinner would be fine, if you don't mind. Like I said, I can't skip any more meals. Where and when would you like to meet?"

Sephiroth smiled, clearly pleased. "My quarters at half past seven would be fine."

The Turk made a quick mental calculation and nodded slowly. "I should be able to make it. I'll call if I'm running late."

"Don't worry. I'm quite free after seven so waiting for you will be no imposition."

With a last nod, Vincent let the door go. He waited until the elevator closed and started moving again before going to his office. He sat on his chair and slumped forward on his desk, resting his forehead on its cool surface. He knew he wasn't getting a fever but he felt abnormally warm. A thought occurred to him then and he felt a flash of panic.

_Chaos,_ he called in his mind. _Chaos, are you awake?_

_I am now,_ Chaos's rumbling voice echoed in Vincent's head. _What is it?_

_Do we even _get_ sick anymore?_

_Not if I can help it, no. Why are you asking? _

_It's probably nothing, but… I'm just feeling warmer than usual but I don't feel a fever coming. _

_Hmm. I'll check, all the same. There might be a bug trying to nest somewhere._

_Thanks. Sorry for waking you up._

_Don't mention it. Just go to work and leave the rest to me._

Work. Right. He had tons of it and letting it pile up wasn't an option. He straightened in his chair and unlocked his computer to bring up the files he had to send to Lazard. Within five minutes, he was immersed in the security proposals and shut out everything else around him.


	2. Dinner and a Shock

**Chapter Summary:**

Sephiroth wants to be friends but Vincent doesn't think he can have those anymore. To make matters worse, Chaos finds out what the hot flashes are about. Hint: it's all Galian's fault.

—

An insistent knocking on his door broke through his concentration and he was forced to look up from his computer screen. He wasn't really surprised to find that it was almost five o'clock in the afternoon and he had failed to take a break to at least snack on one of the unhealthy cups of noodles available in the vending machine conveniently set in the lounge area of the Turks' floor. Saving his progress on the computer and rubbing his eyes, he called for whoever was outside his office to come inside.

It seemed it was Reno's turn to make sure Vincent hadn't passed out from exhaustion. The Director would feel offended if he hadn't collapsed several times over the course of his two years in the position. Instead, he was grateful that his subordinates had come up with a roster to look after him. He was even more grateful to see Reno carrying a bag of Wutain take-out in one hand and a carrier with two large glasses of iced tea in the other. Other than Tseng, the redheaded Turk was the only one in the team willing to indulge Vincent's taste for his mother's side of the family's native food. Rude and the two women in the team had never been fond of Wutain food but Reno was adventurous in all aspects of his life and had happily joined Vincent and Tseng at a small Wutain restaurant in Sector Three a few months after Veld retired. The younger man took an immediate liking to the food and would personally go and pick his and Vincent's favourites when it was his turn to make sure the Director ate properly.

"Hungry, Bossman?" Reno asked in his playful drawl.

Nodding and smiling, Vincent said, "Quite. I am sorry you had to go out of your way for me again."

"Not a problem, Vincent. You know I actually like our lunch escapades."

Vincent smiled and cleared his desk, then brought out two bamboo mats that he kept in his drawer for occasions such as this. He watched as Reno unloaded their food and waited until the redhead was seated before saying grace Wutain style and digging into his ginger and coriander noodle soup. Reno didn't like soups and instead got some curry.

"Besides," Reno said after taking a veggie dumpling, "I know I've said this a thousand times already and I'll say it as many times as it takes, but it's the least I can do, man. I mean, if you hadn't agreed to come back when Veld was due for retirement even after all the crap the company put you through, most of us wouldn't even be 'round anymore. Making sure you're alive and well once or twice a week is nothing compared to that, yo."

Vincent felt humbled by Reno's heartfelt gratitude. He had no idea what to say back—he never did—so he simply nodded in acknowledgment and finished his soup in relative silence. He shared some of his pork dumplings with Reno in exchange for some of the redhead's veggie ones, and they shared half a pint of plum ice cream. Vincent saved his tea for last while Reno had drunk his along with his lunch and, as usual, the Director ended up sharing some of his drink with the redhead.

"Thanks, yo," Reno said, smirking. "I think I'll have to start ordering an extra glass of tea so I don't end up drinking yours all the time."

The dark-haired man laughed as he cleared his desk again. "Might be a good idea. It's all on the company's penny, so feel free to do so next time if you like."

"Awesome," Reno said, leaning back on his chair. Looking at the clock, he realised it was almost six. "Damn, that was a long lunch break. I better go finish my reports before Rude comes back from the firing range. He'll be pissed if I make him wait after hours again."

Noticing the time, Vincent nodded. "Sounds good. I have to finish up one more report for Lazard before clocking out, too."

Reno looked at his boss with a surprised look. "Not working overtime today, Bossman?"

"I have plans, so I'm trying not to stay after seven," Vincent said.

"Oi, oi, oi, back-up, Bossman. You have _actual plans_?"

Vincent frowned playfully and tossed a paperclip at Reno; it caught in his hair and when Reno tugged it off, some of his hair came away, too, making him yelp and Vincent laugh.

"You deserve that for making fun of your boss. _Yes_, I have _actual plans_, Reno."

"But you never do! And when we invite you out you always blow us off."

"Not always," Vincent defended. "It's not my fault you almost always go out for drinks with the intention of drowning yourselves in alcohol—you know I can't drink. Besides, until Rufus sees fit to get rid of Heidegger, we must be above reproach at all times."

"Fine, fine," Reno said, scratching the back of his head. "What are these plans of yours, then?"

"I'm going out for dinner with General Sephiroth."

Reno had been sipping on the last drops of his tea and he nearly choked on them. "What the _hell_? Vincent!"

Realising how his statement could be easily misconstrued, Vincent rolled his eyes and threw another paperclip at the redhead; he caught it this time.

"It's not a date, Reno. Get your mind off the gutter."

"Well, now that I think about it, it would be odd, yeah. I don't think I've ever seen you two together outside of briefings and meetings. But that just makes it weirder, man. Why they hell are you having dinner with him, yo?"

"It was his idea," Vincent said, perhaps a bit too defensively. "I had a meeting with Lazard this morning to coordinate security efforts for next month's summit and it seems like he talked about it with Sephiroth, who then decided he wanted to discuss it with me."

"Dinner's overkill for that, yo," Reno said, not entirely buying Vincent's explanation.

Realising he had grossly underestimated the redhead, Vincent decided to tell the truth—or at least as much of it as he could without bringing up his own misgivings into the conversation. "He also said we haven't talked much in the four years since I've been back in spite of the things we have in common. For some reason, he decided to put an end to that and invited me out for drinks. Except I said I'd rather have dinner because if I miss any more meals Gast is going to scream my head off—_again_."

Reno actually laughed at that and let the rest slide. "Guess I won't have to call you tonight to make sure you had dinner, then."

"It won't be necessary, no," Vincent replied, smiling. "Now go do your work and let me finish mine."

Reno gave him a lazy salute and strode out of the office wishing Vincent a good night.

Vincent stretched as his computer shut down. A quick glance at the clock told him it was a quarter past seven, which meant he'd be late in spite of his best efforts to finish up early. With a heavy sigh, he left his office and locked up before dialling Sephiroth's number, which he'd gotten off the company's internal directory because he had neglected to ask for it in the elevator. The General picked up almost immediately and Vincent found himself momentarily floored by the younger man's deep, silky voice.

"_Sephiroth Faremis speaking. Who is this?"_

"Uh, Valentine. Just calling to let you know I just left my office and I'll need about half an hour to change my clothes and all."

"_Like I said earlier, it is no problem. You'd only be arriving fifteen minutes late—that's no Loveless-grade tragedy, Director Valentine."_

Vincent snickered in spite of himself. "I know. I just hate being late—deeply ingrained Turks training, I'm afraid. But since I have you on the phone, is there any particular dress code involved? Just so I know whether it's all right or not to wear my ducky tie."

Sephiroth's airy laugh came through the receiver. _"Casual is fine. Ducky ties are acceptable but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to keep a straight face throughout the evening if you decide to wear one."_

"Far be it from me to cause your reputation as an eternal stoic to crumble. No ducky tie tonight. I'll see you soon, General."

"_Thank you, Director. See you soon."_

Vincent hung up and smirked as he tried to imagine everyone's reaction if they found out he actually owned a ducky tie.

Little over half an hour later, Vincent stood outside Sephiroth's quarters wearing dress pants and a dark red silk button-up shirt. He had his hair tied up in a ponytail with his bangs clear off his face for a change. He took a deep breath and knocked twice. Sephiroth opened up quickly and seemed surprised to see Vincent wearing something other than his black Turks uniform. Vincent was equally surprised to see Sephiroth out of his leather pants and cloak and clad instead in designer jeans and an indigo cotton short-sleeved shirt. He, too, had his hair held up in a ponytail but his bangs remained in place.

"Evening, Director," Sephiroth greeted.

"Evening, General. Are we staying in or going out?"

"Going out," Sephiroth said, stepping out of his apartment and locking up behind him. "I am afraid my cooking skills are non-existent and I really don't want to risk giving you food poisoning. Father would not appreciate all his efforts to stabilise your health to go to waste due to my incompetence in the kitchen."

Vincent grinned as he followed Sephiroth to the elevator bank. "Fair enough. Where are we going, then? I'm afraid I had a late lunch so I don't think I'll be able to have a large dinner."

"What did you have for lunch?"

"Wutain food from Leviathan's Scales over in Sector Three."

"I've never been there. Is the food good?"

"It is, if you like authentic Wutain food. If you don't, or if you prefer cheap imitations, then Leviathan's Scales is not the place for you."

"I enjoyed the food they offered us during the peace treaty signing in Wutai. I might look up this restaurant in the future."

"I recommend it."

"Duly noted. As for where we're going, there's a small restaurant bar over in Sector Seven aptly called Seventh Heaven. Cloud Strife's girlfriend owns it in addition to working there."

"Ah, yes. Cozy little place."

They reached the ground floor of the building and headed for the train station. People greeted them along the way, although several of them seemed baffled to see the top ranking Soldier First Class going out for a night in the town with the Head Turk. It was an odd combination, to say the least.

"You've been there, then?" Sephiroth asked.

"A few times. Cloud spoke of it often enough that I eventually gave in. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a hermit and I developed a touch of agoraphobia, so the idea of being in such a small space while being surrounded by so much chatter prevents me from visiting as often as I'd like—certainly I'm not there as often as Cloud would like. But he's a good lad, so he understands."

Sephiroth stopped for a moment with a slightly shocked look on his usually calm features. "Director, my apologies—I didn't know. We can go somewhere else if you prefer."

Vincent also stopped, looking at Sephiroth with a slightly amused expression. "Don't worry about it, Sephiroth. Like you said this afternoon, we haven't talked much so there was no way you could've known. I have no problem with going to Seventh Heaven, provided you don't want to make this a daily occurrence. I'm perfectly capable of controlling my discomfort for a few hours."

"If you're certain…" Sephiroth said, not completely convinced.

Vincent smiled reassuringly and resumed walking. "Absolutely. It's been a while since I had their chicken pot pie so I think I'll try that. Also, Tifa's the only bartender I know capable of putting together a non-alcoholic cocktail that doesn't taste like sugary water."

The silver-haired man followed the gunman to the platform and they boarded the train that would leave them in Seventh Heaven's neighbourhood.

"You don't drink alcohol, then?" Sephiroth asked. He hoped he wasn't making Vincent uncomfortable with his questions. Then again, that was what the evening was supposed to be about, getting to know each other better.

"I try not to. It tends to mess with my still frail circadian rhythm. I made the mistake of drinking at Veld's retirement party and it took Gast about a month to rebalance my brain chemistry. Ever since then I've made an effort to remain sober."

"Did you enjoy drinking… before?" Sephiroth didn't know how to refer to Vincent's ordeal at Hojo and Lucrecia's hands, so he left it vague on purpose.

The dark-haired man smiled fondly. "Yeah. I used to go out for drinks with Veld after every mission, successful or not, provided we didn't wind up in the hospital. We often ended up getting kicked out of the bar, but it was worth it. Can't say that I miss the terrible hangovers, though."

"I don't get those," Sephiroth stated. "My body metabolises alcohol way too quickly for its side effects to affect me."

"I see. Is it the same with the other Firsts?"

"For everyone except Zack. Whatever they did to him doesn't make him immune to hangovers."

"Hmm. Tough luck."

"Maybe not. It makes him closer to a regular human than the rest of us."

Vincent looked at Sephiroth with mild shock. This was the first time since their conversation in the elevator that the swordsman had expressed any sort of negative view on, well, anything. He wondered if it was because the topic at hand was so closely related to his biological parents or because he felt more at ease being honest about his thoughts on Shinra while being away from the building's cameras.

The rest of the train ride was spent in the same sort of awkward silence that surrounded them when they ran into each other at Shinra Headquarters. When they arrived to Sector Seven, they made their way silently towards the bar. On their way there, they ran into Kunsel. The young Second was on his way back to headquarters after visiting his girlfriend.

"General, Director," he greeted them with a quick salute. "Have a good evening, sirs."

"Evening, Kunsel," Sephiroth said with an amicable smile. "You, too."

"Good evening," Vincent said.

As soon as Kunsel was out of earshot, Vincent said, "He's a nice kid. He and Cloud were quite understanding of my situation after they found me at the Shinra Mansion. I was half expecting one or both of them to start spreading tall tales about me, but I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that they limited themselves to reporting to Lazard and Gast."

"Zack handpicked both to promote them from Third to Second Class, so it's not surprising. He's still very young but he has a good eye for people."

"Am I to understand you approve of his relationship with Ms. Gainsborough, then?" Vincent asked, trying to make it as light a question as possible.

Sephiroth gave him an amused side glance and shrugged minutely. "I'm not even going to ask how it is you know about that. To answer your question, though, I'm not entirely sure it's my place to approve or disapprove. She seems very happy since meeting him, and quite more lively since they started going out. So far I have no reason to object to their relationship, but he has been warned that causing her any sort of harm or grief will end very poorly for him."

Vincent couldn't help but laugh at the mental image the statement brought up. "I'm sure that will keep him in line. Not that I really think he needed the warning; Zack seems like a sweet, honourable young man."

"I don't know about sweet, but he certainly is honourable. After all, he's Angeal's most apt pupil. But Aerith's my sister and I love her so I can't help but be protective of her."

They arrived to Seventh Heaven about then so Vincent was excused from replying. Which was a relief because he wasn't sure his comment about how thankful he was that Sephiroth had found a family to love and protect after being born amongst lunatics and half raised by one would be appreciated.

It appeared to be a slow night as the restaurant was mostly empty, something for which Vincent was secretly grateful. As soon as they stepped in, a young brunette with bright brown eyes came up to them with a huge smile on her lips.

"General, Director! It's so nice to see you both here."

"It's nice to see you, too, Ms. Lockhart," Sephiroth said.

"It has been a while," Vincent said. "You look well, Tifa."

"Same to you! Particularly you, Director Valentine. Have you been putting on weight?"

Sephiroth couldn't help but laugh and Vincent soon joined him. He rubbed his left hand on his quite flat stomach and gave Tifa a playful look.

"My clothes barely fit anymore, dear. All the same, I can't help but wonder if you still have any chicken pot pie left."

Tifa blushed but bit back her apology, realising Vincent hadn't been offended by her comment. "There's two left, actually. I'll get you seated and then I'll ask the cook to pop them in the oven."

"Excellent," Vincent said. As Tifa walked them over to their table, which turned out to be a corner booth in the quietest part of the restaurant, he turned to Sephiroth. "Unless you want something else, General."

"Chicken pot pie sounds good. I'd like some cheese fries as an appetiser, though."

Tifa didn't bother giving the men a menu as they sat down, instead bringing out her notepad and writing down Sephiroth's order. "Anything else? Something to drink?"

"A virgin strawberry daiquiri for me," Vincent said.

"A glass of Corel red wine for me; chilled," Sephiroth said.

Tifa wrote everything down and left with a smile, promising to bring Sephiroth's fries and their drinks in the next five minutes.

"I'm glad there's not a lot of people tonight," Sephiroth said after Tifa was gone. "I should've asked about your preference in restaurants earlier today."

Vincent waved his hand in dismissal as he made himself comfortable in the booth. "I told you not to worry about that. It would've made it nearly impossible for you to find a place at which to dine."

"What about that Wutain restaurant you mentioned?"

"It's no bigger than this place, but they have a patio so that makes it nearly perfect."

"Perhaps we could go there next time, then," Sephiroth suggested.

The gunman looked at him with a mildly surprised look. "I'm not quite sure I warrant a next time, General."

The silver-haired swordsman returned the Director's surprised look. "And why would that be?"

"You can find almost everything there is to know about me in the files kept by the company, not to mention Professor Faremis's first-hand knowledge of my… condition, should we say. What little isn't there won't take terribly long to tell."

"That would be enough if I were only interested in cold facts but, like I said, I want to get to know you. I'd like you to get to know me beyond the company's files, as well. Friendships aren't forged in a couple of hours, Vincent."

Vincent realised that it was the first time that Sephiroth had called him by his first name rather than his surname or title. It made him feel uncomfortable, for some reason, and slightly unnerved. A part of him, however, something deeply tied to the other two entities sharing his body, felt oddly exhilarated. That, along with the fact that Sephiroth had expressed a desire for them to become friends, left him temporarily speechless. Thankfully for him, Tifa chose that precise moment to bring along their drinks and the General's fries.

"Here you go," she said cheerfully. "Your food will be ready in about fifteen minutes. Is there anything else I can get you in the meantime?"

"Some iced water," Vincent managed. "But it can wait until the pies are ready."

"I'm fine, thank you," Sephiroth said.

As soon as Tifa was gone, the General looked into Vincent's eyes and said, "Is there a problem?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Vincent said. He took a sip from his daiquiri and then started rotating the cool glass between his palms, which felt strangely warm. "I guess I am confused as to why you'd want to be friends with me."

"Before I answer that, would you mind telling me why you think it's such a bad idea?"

Vincent stopped playing with his glass and looked at Sephiroth as if he thought that had been a dumb question.

"Every time I look at you, I'm reminded of my failure not only as a Turk but as a man. The only reason that doesn't drive me insane is because you turned out remarkably well when considering your parentage. I don't know how you feel about that or about my role in your early life, and I'm not sure I even want to know. I—"

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. He looked at the General and shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry. Twenty-odd years in a coffin plagued by nightmares and worst-case scenarios led me to believe I'd never see you. I'm not sure you can comprehend how utterly ridiculous everything was for me after Cloud and Kunsel found me, how _surreal_ it all felt. Amidst all of that, I find that, against all odds, you're not only alive but healthy and part of a caring family…" He shook his head slowly. "Sitting here, drinking with you and about to have dinner, that's just… I don't know. And you want us to be friends? Sephiroth, I wouldn't even know where to begin to explain how… impossible and even incongruous that seems to me."

Sephiroth ate some of his fries as he mulled Vincent's rant over. He ate about a quarter of the platter before pushing it closer to Vincent. "They're very good. You should have some."

"I'll make myself sick if I eat your fries and then the pot pie. But thanks."

"I'll get Tifa to pack the leftovers for you, then."

"Thanks. Sephiroth, listen—"

The General brought his hand up in a 'stop' gesture.

"It's my turn, Vincent. First of all, I don't blame you for anything, all right? It's clear enough from the reports and Father's account of things that you did everything you could to stop my biological parents from using themselves and I as guinea pigs. It's also clear that you worry about me, or at least have some sort of interest in me, given that you often ask Father about me."

Vincent blanched. "He… told you about that?"

Sephiroth nodded slowly. "About a year after you returned to the company. He said he wanted to make sure your worries were genuine and not just born out of misplaced guilt. He said you offered up all you knew about the Jenova Project when you returned in order to help him come up with a stabilising agent for me, Genesis, and Angeal. I know you've also inquired about them, but Father seems to believe you're far more concerned about me."

Realising Sephiroth was giving him the chance to reply, Vincent said, "I… Yes, I'm concerned for all three of you, but I'm more invested in your well-being than the others' for obvious reasons. I had no idea there were parallel projects to the Jenova one; when I came back and read up on them I was disgusted with the entire Science Department but I still felt far more strongly for you than anyone else. I was there during the planning stages of the Jenova Project, I read Lucrecia's notes and even managed to get my hands on some of Hojo's transcripts and—"

He stopped and rested his forehead on his palm. He was warm again and he somehow doubted it was just because of the conversation.

"Sorry. I got carried away. The point is I felt you were part of my life even when you hadn't even been born when I—you know. It's not just guilt, Sephiroth, but also a strong sense of unfulfilled duty that drives much of my interest for you."

"What about the rest?" Seeing the confused look on Vincent's face, he elaborated. "You said 'much'."

Before Vincent could think of a reply, Tifa came up to them with two steaming pans of chicken pot pie and a tall glass of iced water, as well as a new daiquiri for Vincent and the rest of the wine bottle for Sephiroth. She set their food on the table and left after making sure they didn't need anything else.

Needing the distraction, Vincent finished his first drink and then dug into his food. The warm, flaky crust and creamy filling were as good as he remembered, if not better, and he allowed himself to get lost in the sensations for a few minutes. When he felt he was ready for it, he tackled Sephiroth's question.

"A part of me, the hopeless romantic that refuses to die even after all the blood and violence he's witnessed, likes to think that you could've been my son. I don't look it but I know you're aware that I'm old enough to be your father, and that same part of me likes to think that, perhaps if I'd met her sooner, Lucrecia might've…" He waved his hand like he used to do before continuing. "Wishful thinking, I know, but there's not much to do while locked up in a coffin but to sleep and dream. Although it is impossible for you to be my son, although there's nothing official that makes us anything more than acquaintances, if that, I still like to entertain the notion that we were meant to share the same time, if you will. That my life was put on hold when it was and resumed when it was because I was meant to look after you in one way or another."

Sephiroth had been eating in silence but set his fork down with a little more force than he meant to. "That makes no sense. If you really believe that, then why is it so unfathomable for us to be friends? Whatever age you actually are, you don't look a day older than thirty. That's nearly two years younger than I, by the way."

Startled by the General's abrupt reaction, Vincent set his fork down, too. Taking in Sephiroth's agitated expression, Vincent felt even more confused than before.

"It's not just you, Sephiroth. I really don't think I'm capable of being friends with anyone. Even Veld, whom I considered almost a brother before my life took a turn towards insanity, is ill at ease when around me. And I can't say I blame him, given the state in which I returned."

"What about Cloud, then?" Sephiroth pressed. "And Reno and the other Turks?"

"Cloud lost his father before he could even form a clear memory of him. I met his mother while on assignment and she told him a few stories about me. That's why he adopted me as a surrogate father of sorts. There is no reason to deny him that, so I don't. Over these four years he has made an effort to make my return to society go by as smoothly as possible, something for which I am infinitely grateful. The first year I was back in Midgar was particularly difficult and, if not for Cloud, I would not have ventured out of the Shinra Building at all. However, there is much about me he does not know and will never know. Not because I don't trust him, but because it would serve no purpose to disclose certain things to him."

A small smile crossed his features as he prepared to discuss his relationship with the Turks.

"I suppose you have deep ties with the other Soldiers First Class?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Angeal and Genesis are my oldest friends. They're almost like my brothers. Zack joined us not too long ago but he's also very close to us."

Vincent nodded slowly before continuing.

"In that case, you'll probably have an easier time than most understanding what the Turks mean to me. My mother passed away when I was twelve and my father died shortly before I joined the Turks. Technically, I was an orphan when I joined the department, so Veld and the others became my family. In less than three years they knew me better than my parents ever did and I knew them just as well. We trusted each other with our lives, literally. We moved and worked not only like a unit but like a single entity—we knew what the others were thinking before they were aware of it themselves and we acted accordingly. The rumours circulating Shinra that we were more loyal to one another than to the company weren't, and aren't, that far off. To be a Turk means to throw your individuality into the pack to enhance it and yourself. There's no middle ground—you go all in or you go out.

"I may have been gone for nearly thirty years but my loyalty to the Turks remains unchanged. _Once a Turk, always a Turk _is not just a cute motto—it's a pledge we live by. Even before I accepted to take over as head of the department, before I even _met_ them, Tseng, Cissnei, Reno, Rude, and Elena were already my family. I will never lie to or hide anything from them because I need them to trust me implicitly, just like _I_ trust _them _unconditionally. It's a matter of survival, both physical and spiritual, if you like."

He took a deep breath and looked at Sephiroth straight in the eye. "Cloud chose me as his surrogate father, and the Turks became my family the moment they joined the department. I couldn't sever either connection even if I wanted to, which I really don't. But as for fostering new relationships… I wouldn't even know how."

"You can't be seriously telling me that you intend to go through the rest of your life without allowing anyone other than Cloud and the Turks to come close to you," Sephiroth said, obviously frustrated.

"I can, and I am." He ate some more before adding, "It might not be a particularly long life as Professor Faremis seems to think, mind you. The truth is that, unless Chaos and I can find a way to fix the protomateria, I won't last very many years."

Sephiroth was shocked, to say the least. It wasn't just the statement but the calm with which it was delivered. Vincent seemed, for all intents and purposes, resigned to this fate. To try to calm himself, he drank the rest of his glass of wine and poured himself more. He watched Vincent eat for a few long minutes, trying to find something to say that could sway the other man.

Truth be told, he wasn't really sure why he was so determined to befriend Vincent. The idea had come a few weeks before, when his father once again brought the gunman up in conversation. Something about his father's tone had sparked a sense of curiosity for the older man that Sephiroth hadn't felt before. So he went through all files pertaining to the Jenova Project and Vincent Valentine again, except this time he focused on the Turk instead of on the data about his biological parents or even himself. He accessed the previous administration's reports on the gunman's missions prior to being assigned to guard the scientists in Nibelheim; he also read up on Grimoire Valentine, Vincent's father, and the research he conducted along with Lucrecia before dying in a lab accident. He remembered reading about the protomateria but he had just skimmed through that section, so there was nothing he could offer Vincent in the way of help or advice, not even comfort.

"Your food's getting cold," Vincent's rumbling baritone interrupted him.

The General looked up sharply from the spot on his plate that he had been staring at and met Vincent's amused stare.

"What's so funny?" he asked, sounding like a petulant child and feeling silly for it.

"Not exactly funny," Vincent said, smiling a little. "Just… endearing, I guess? You look so crushed."

Frowning, Sephiroth prepared to reply but a sudden flash of gold across Vincent's eyes made him stop. Before he could ask about it, Vincent excused himself and strode to the restroom.

Once inside, Vincent took stock of the stalls and decided he didn't want to risk a panic attack so he climbed out the window and stood in the alley, leaning against the wall.

_Okay, Chaos,_ he said, _what's so important that it couldn't wait until we were _alone_ at the apartment?_

_It's about what you asked me earlier, _Chaos answered. He hesitated for a moment before adding, _It regards the General, which is why I had to interrupt._

Vincent started and glared at the brick wall in front of him like it had been the one to make the statement. _How on Gaia can they be related?_

_What you've been feeling since this morning is not a prelude to sickness. It's… Well, there's no delicate way to put this, so here it goes. It's soon mating season._

_I'm sorry—could you repeat that _very_ slowly, like I'm brain damaged? Because it sounded like you just said I'm in heat._

Chaos couldn't help but chuckle as he answered. _That's what I said, yes. Except it's not you, but Galian. _Another strange pause. _And, well… me, too, in a way._

Vincent pressed his right palm to his forehead and closed his eyes so tightly that the colourful explosion behind his eyelids became painful. He fumbled mentally for a long time before sighing and resting his head against the wall with a resounding thud. He welcomed the pain as it helped him focus.

_You'll get to the part where that's in any way tied to Sephiroth in a minute. Right now, I need you to explain to me how is it possible for you two to be in heat when you don't have a physical body. And why on Gaia is it happening _now_? And… Well, everything! Tell me everything you know about this._

_That would take a long time and Sephiroth's in there waiting for you. I can tell you all about it when we get home, but the part where he's concerned you need to hear now._

_Fine. Hit me._

_I don't have a physical body, remember?_

_Chaos…_

_Sorry. I was trying to lighten the mood because there's no way to put this delicately, either. I'm not 100% sure how or why, but I _am_ sure that when this thing hits full-on, you're going to be attracted to the General. _

_**WHAT?**_

It didn't matter that Chaos didn't have a body—Vincent felt him cringe all the same. He probably shouldn't have raised his voice but the idea of him lusting after Sephiroth was not only preposterous but fundamentally abhorrent. Even if he amended that thought and reminded himself that it was Galian and Chaos's feelings or hormones or whatever, it would ultimately be his body involved in the whole process. After everything the silver-haired man had been through…

_No._

_Vincent? _

Instead of answering, Vincent climbed back into the restroom, washed his hands, and returned to the dining area. He could hear Chaos protesting and trying to get him to stay put, but he shut him out. As he approached the table, he felt the palms of his hands warming up like they'd done at the beginning of the evening; he also felt his pulse rising slightly and his breathing becoming somewhat erratic. He had no idea whether he was having something akin to a hypochondriac episode now that Chaos had told him what was going on, but he didn't want to put the theory to the test, either. He quickly went through the things he would say to Sephiroth and then he skipped to calculating the quickest way back to headquarters through back alleys and out of anyone's sight.

He didn't know whether to count his blessings or curse his luck when he saw Zack and Aerith sitting at the table with Sephiroth. The General seemed glad to have them there, but a closer look told Vincent that he was annoyed by the interruption. The dark-haired man quickly decided this was his chance to call it a night without leaving room for Sephiroth to follow him, at least not immediately.

"Lt. Fair, Ms. Gainsborough," he said with a smile as he reached the table. "Good evening."

"Evening, Director!" Zack said, shaking Vincent's hand vigorously.

"Good evening, Mr. Valentine," Aerith said as she reached up and kissed Vincent's cheek. She frowned as she sat down, eyeing him critically. "Forgive the indiscretion, Director, but are you feeling okay? You feel a bit warm."

Eying Sephiroth's half-consumed bottle of wine, Zack grinned and said, "Maybe a bit too much alcohol, Director?"

Sephiroth shot Zack a warning glare. "He doesn't drink, Fair." Looking at Vincent, he said, "You do look a bit high-coloured."

Bless sweet, perceptive Aerith. Now all Vincent had to do was play things just right to be able to leave on his own.

"Nothing to worry about," he said, "just a bit of exhaustion, I'm afraid. I hate to cut our chat short, Sephiroth, but it would be better if I returned to headquarters to rest."

"I'll go with you," Sephiroth said. "Just let me pay the check."

"I got it," Zack said. "We'll keep the table."

"It's not necessary," Vincent said, feeling panic rising up in his chest. "A little cool air will do me good on the way back and I'd hate for your night to end so early, Sephiroth."

Just as the General was about to protest, Aerith placed her hand over his and smiled sweetly at him. "Stay, Seph. It's been a while since the three of us had a chance to talk. Mr. Valentine will be fine on his own and he can call one of you if he feels worse before reaching headquarters."

Vincent held his breath as Sephiroth looked between him and Aerith a few times before settling down on his seat again. "All right. But at least wait until Tifa wraps up the leftovers. Like you said, you can't skip any more meals and it looks like they might make a decent lunch."

The gunman nodded and called Tifa to ask for the check and to have the leftovers wrapped up. When she returned, he tried to pay for half of the check but the General wouldn't have that.

"I invited you, so it's my treat. Just… make it home safely and I'll check on you tomorrow morning… Director."

The disappointment in Sephiroth's voice made Vincent's stomach drop but he managed a weak smile. "Thank you, General. Have a good evening, everyone."

As he left, he was sure Aerith looked at him with concern and just a bit of suspicion.


	3. Limit Break

**Chapter Summary:**

Finding out the creatures you play grudging host to are in heat is never fun. Being forced to let a not-so-mad-scientist poke you with needles and request all kinds of samples from you is even less amusing. It can always get worse, though.

—

Vincent entered his apartment and locked up behind him before going to the kitchen and storing the leftovers on the fridge. He took a bottle of water and drank half of it in a single go, groaning in relief as the cold liquid helped ease his fevered state. Chaos, whom he'd taken out of mute on his way back to headquarters, insisted they didn't have a fever but Vincent refused to think of it as being in heat. The idea was preposterous, particularly when taking into account the prospect of having Sephiroth as the target of his mental roommates' rampaging hormones.

Pressing the cool bottle against his forehead and sighing deeply, Vincent made his way towards his bedroom. Too tired and agitated to even think about changing into his pyjamas, he just kicked his shoes off and fell heavily on his bed, draping an arm over his eyes while switching the bottle to his neck.

_All right, then_, he told Chaos. _Let's hear everything you know about this._

_Like I said, it's soon Galian's mating season. It has a lot to do with what you said before about us not having physical bodies of our own. When you transform into us, we take over your body by replacing some of your DNA with ours, basically rebuilding it to suit the information in our cells. The fact that you have those cells is what allows the transformations to take place. Over the years you've learned to control them and, together, you and I have been able to keep Galian mostly dormant. But that only goes as far as his consciousness, such as it is. By controlling him, we've decelerated the rate at which his cells, and therefore his hormones, usually worked but there's no way to control the intrinsic biological mechanisms within the cells. _

_You're telling me that it was bound to happen no matter what, that we only delayed the inevitable._

_Precisely._

_What about you, then? You said you're nearing your mating season, too, but that it's Galian's fault?_

_I am a Weapon created by the Planet with a very specific purpose. I have no need or reason to mate, therefore I have no mating season. At the same time, however, I'm nothing more than a bunch of cells invading your body and a high-level consciousness sharing part of your headspace. Physically, I'm closer to Galian than to you, so he can affect me in more direct ways. That being the case, his chemistry has altered mine in order to bring his needs to the fore. _

_So he's using you to act on his impulses?_

_Yes. I suppose that, on some level, he knows you'll never let him out to mate. He must also know that I wouldn't intercede on his behalf, either. But if _I'm_ the one feeling the urge…_

_Then you'd have plenty of incentive to talk me into it. _

_Precisely._

_For a base life form, he's turned out to be a manipulative son of a bitch._

_Hn. _

Vincent sighed and drank the rest of the by now barely cool water from the bottle before tossing it into the garbage can next to his bed.

_What about Sephiroth, then? Why him?_

_Ah. Like I said, I am not entirely sure. All I know is that, throughout dinner, Galian got really restless. It actually started when you called Sephiroth to let him know you'd be late—it was like his voice woke Galian up. Then, on the way to the restaurant, he got increasingly frisky. That's why your hands started getting warmer. The fact that Sephiroth showed interest in befriending you got him so excited that I almost lost control over him._

Vincent frowned and sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard. _I didn't feel any of that._

_I disconnected for a while so we wouldn't interrupt. It was around the time you started feeling warmer, so that's why you didn't feel anything. Once I realised what it all meant, I stepped up to let you know what was going on._

_I see. But… I was feeling feverish _before _I ran into Sephiroth on the elevator. _

_I know. I was asleep then, and so was Galian—that's why he didn't react to Sephiroth then. What you were feeling was just the beginning of the symptoms. _

Vincent nodded and took a moment to gather his thoughts for a moment when something else occurred to him. _Wait. Why does Galian want to mate with a male?_

Chaos took a moment to think about it. _I really don't know. It makes no sense if we think about the core purpose of mating. Then again, I don't think there are any female specimens of whatever species Galian is. _

_I doubt he knows or even understands that, _Vincent mused. He decided that trying to make sense of any of it without hard data or facts would get him nowhere so he switched to the practicalities of the issue._ Is there any way to stop the process?_

_I don't think so, but perhaps you should talk it over with Professor Faremis. _

_I'm sure that'll go over well,_ Vincent said, clearly annoyed. _'Hey, guess what? Galian is in heat and he gave it to Chaos, who in turn will give it to me. Want to know what the best part is? Galian's got the hots for your adoptive son.'_

_You could just leave Sephiroth out of it,_ Chaos said, unable to contain his amusement at Vincent's snarky comment.

_I will, if I have any say in it. I will not taint him by letting Hojo's work get the best of me. _

_Permission to speak freely without you threatening to rip me apart?_

_Granted. But thread lightly._

_While I admit that this situation is quite disgusting, I think you should reconsider his offer for friendship._

_Explain yourself before I decide to find out if ripping you apart is actually possible, _Vincent said testily.

_I don't know why you told him about the protomateria, but other than the Turks and the few higher ups that need to know, you'd never brought that up with anyone. You agreed to go out for dinner with him instead of scheduling a meeting during office hours to discuss work related affairs. You care about him and want to make sure he's safe and has a happy life. Wouldn't that be easier to do if you were actually a part of said life? I know you have little hope that we'll find a way to fix the protomateria but whatever ends up happening in that regard, we still have a long way to go before it becomes a real problem. That's a long time to be emotionally cut off from the world, Vincent._

The gunman took a deep breath and brought his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on his arms.

_I know. But while I don't allow guilt to render me useless, I haven't found a way to completely let go. You know that, Chaos. And you know that what I told Sephiroth is true: every time I look at him I am reminded of my failures and shortcomings. It reminds me that, in spite of my best efforts, things can still go horribly wrong. _

_Except he ended up remarkably well._

_Not thanks to me. Gast—_

_Gast was part of the original Jenova Project,_ Chaos interrupted. _He _started_ it all, Vincent. And when he realised he was wrong, he left instead of staying to set things right. Through his inaction he allowed Hojo the room he needed to experiment to his shrivelled heart's content. Gast could have prevented things from reaching the point where you were forced to try to step in. He's not a saint, Vincent, just like you're not a sinner. If he found a way to turn his mistake around, at least partly, you can find a way to shed your guilt so you can truly look after Sephiroth._

_And you're not just saying this because of Galian's influence, right?_

Chaos laughed, causing a small smile to form on Vincent's lips.

_Yeah, don't even answer that, _Vincent said. _All the same, I don't think it's a good idea to consider it now. At least not until we know if there's any way to stop this stupid mating season thing or at least take Sephiroth out of the equation._

_As long as you agree to consider it._

_I do. Now, anything else you can tell me? Like when will it become more than hot flashes or how long will it last?_

_I'm sorry but I really don't know. I'll try to keep it under control for as long as I can but…_

Vincent sighed and switched off the lights before settling down to sleep. _I'll talk to Gast about it tomorrow. Hopefully he'll have a clue as to what to do._

_Hopefully. Good night, Vincent._

_Good night, Chaos._

The following morning, Vincent arrived to the Turks' offices a quarter 'till eight. He stored the leftovers from the night before in the fridge they kept in the lounge area and was about to head to his office when he nearly ran into Cissnei.

"Good morning, Director," she greeted with a smile.

"Morning, Cissnei," Vincent said. "Aren't you a bit early today?"

The Turks' third in command shrugged and followed Vincent into his office. "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd come in early and work on some reports I couldn't finish last night."

Vincent nodded and offered her a seat while he turned his computer on. "Anything troubling you?"

"Just stressed out because of next month's summit. It's a logistics nightmare, Vincent."

The gunman smirked as he logged into this account and waited for the system to finish loading up.

"You're telling me. Rufus, Reeve, everyone from R&D—including Ifalna and Aerith—, Professor Faremis and half a dozen people from the Science Department, Lazard and a representative from Soldier First Class, plus every major player in the private energy sector—including investors, researchers, and CEOs—, not to mention leaders from all around the world, all cooped up in Modeoheim with only us Turks and a few dozen Soldiers Second Class as protection. I can't imagine anything going wrong."

Cissnei sighed and rested her head on her fist. "Plus all the work we have to do anyway. When will the President authorise us to recruit more members?"

"After the summit," Vincent said, skimming through the messages that arrived over night and early in the morning. "I hadn't brought it up because I didn't want any of you to worry about it, but since you asked… Just don't tell the others yet."

The auburn-haired woman perked up visibly. "That's great. And yeah, don't worry, I won't say anything." She paused a moment and then asked, "Who from Soldier is coming? I heard Genesis had to decline for some reason."

Vincent nodded as he opened an email from Lazard. After skimming through it, he sighed. "Yes, Genesis will be staying here for personal reasons. Sephiroth is slated to replace him at the summit."

"You don't look too happy, Vincent," Cissnei said, eying him carefully. "Is something wrong?"

_Just that being anywhere near Sephiroth makes me feel like someone doused me with mako, _he thought. What he said was, "Nothing, really. It's just that Sephiroth is Shinra's poster boy for a lot of the things Rufus is trying to clean up—the war and mako research, mainly. I'm afraid that once his presence at the summit is confirmed, Avalanche will have more incentive to try something stupid."

Cissnei considered this for a moment and nodded. "I see your point. On the other hand, they might be too scared to try anything with the General there."

"It's a toss up," Vincent mused. "Go ahead and double our surveillance on Avalanche. I want to know what their reaction to the summit's announcement will be. Feel free to pull Elena from whatever she's doing to help you if you need her. I'll put in a request with Lazard to borrow Kunsel, since he went on that recon mission with Rude a few months ago."

"Sure. When will the announcement of the summit and its attendees take place?"

"This afternoon. Apparently they were just waiting to hear from Lazard to start with the publicity."

Cissnei nodded and stood up. "I'll get started on that right away." She was about to leave when she turned to Vincent again. "Did you have breakfast, Director?"

Vincent smiled and nodded. "A bowl of fruit with yoghurt, granola, and honey. Plus a glass of grapefruit juice. I've got granola bars and a chocolate bar in my jacket's pocket _and_ I brought lunch."

Cissnei smiled. "That's good to hear. I'll stop by at lunchtime to make sure you don't forget to eat."

"Thank you, Cissnei."

She nodded and left Vincent's office. As soon as the door closed behind her, he sighed and slumped on his chair.

_You can always make sure to be tied up in events Sephiroth won't be scheduled to appear,_ Chaos offered.

Vincent nodded, not bothering to answer. He wrote an email to Lazard to request Kunsel's help as he had told Cissnei he would and then he answered a few other messages that were marked as urgent. About an hour later, he decided to call Professor Gast to request an emergency appointment but was interrupted when his cellphone rang. He answered without checking the caller ID and immediately regretted it.

"_Good morning, Director,"_ came Sephiroth's voice from the other side.

The gunman cringed as he felt Chaos hastily isolate himself and Galian from Vincent; it felt like brain freeze and it took him a few seconds to recover, giving Sephiroth plenty of time to become concerned.

"_Director? Is everything all right?"_

"Yes, fine," Vincent said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Good morning, General. I apologise about last night—I really didn't mean to leave so abruptly."

"_Don't worry about it. I apologise if anything I said contributed to your indisposition."_

"Nonsense. It's all my messed up body's fault."

"_Speaking of which, how are you feeling this morning?"_

"Better, but I've no expectation of if staying that way, given all the work that still needs to be done regarding the summit."

"_I have a meeting with Lazard later today to get up to speed with it. Hopefully I'll be of some help to all of you after that."_

"Sounds good," Vincent said.

There was a moment's hesitation before Sephiroth said, _"My sister is concerned about you, Vincent. She said you seemed preoccupied last night. I know what you said about the prospect of friends, but if there's anything I can do to help, and I don't mean just work, you can trust me."_

Vincent felt something cold grip his chest at Sephiroth's words, followed by a warm tingling in his hands. Realising the latter part of his reaction must have come from Galian, the gunman felt dirty and sick to his stomach. Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to come up with a neutral answer.

"Thank your sister for her concern, General. I assure you everything is fine and it's just the logistics for the summit's security that keep me slightly on edge. However, thank you for your offer—I will keep it under consideration."

"_I will be sure to let her know. You must have a lot of work to do, Director, so I won't take any more of your time. Have a nice day."_

Once again, Vincent could hear the disappointment in Sephiroth's voice and it made him regret so many things that he seriously considered going back to bed and losing himself in a deep sleep in order to forget them all at least for a little while.

"Thank you for your call, General. Have a good day."

The call ended and Vincent tossed his cellphone on the desk so hard that it slid all across the surface and fell on the floor on the other side. Burying his face in his hands, he waited for Chaos to come back in order to have someone to talk to.

It took about five minutes but Vincent finally felt a familiar pressure on his ears that signalled Chaos's return. With it came a wave of heat that spread all across him and made him feel even more feverish than the day before.

_Sorry about that,_ Chaos said. _There's nothing I can do to stop this particular side effect._

_I could feel you disconnecting, Chaos, but my hands still got warm when Sephiroth offered to help me. That was Galian, wasn't it?_

Chaos sighed and he sounded cross. _Yes. His reaction was much more intense, and you should be glad it didn't come through completely. It threw me for a loop and it took me a while to get him under control. I don't think you can delay that talk with Gast any longer, Vincent._

Nodding, Vincent put his computer to sleep, gathered his phone and his PDA, and told Cissnei he'd be at Gast's office, leaving her in charge while Tseng arrived.

"Professor Faremis will be here shortly, Director Valentine," said Gast's assistant.

"Thank you, Toru," Vincent said with a smile before returning to his PDA.

He had arrived at Gast's office about half an hour ago and the Professor's assistant had informed him that he wasn't scheduled to arrive until noon. Not willing to wait, Vincent asked the young man to call Gast and tell him that the Head of the Turks was in to see him and that it was an emergency. Knowing that Vincent was one of the Professor's priorities, Toru agreed and contacted Gast, who promised to finish up his meeting with Director Tuesti as soon as possible. Apparently, he had just called to let his assistant and Vincent know that he was on his way.

_Are you going to mention Sephiroth's role in all of this? _Chaos asked.

Vincent thought about it for a moment as he made some notes on Rude's report about Palmer's attempts at selling blueprints of a rocket prototype to a rival company. Really, the man had no brains and no sense of secrecy—he'd tried to close the deal at Junon's newest karaoke bar in the middle of the day. Not at any karaoke bar, either, but the one right next to the Turks' hangout. He was aware that killing Palmer would be counterproductive, but Vincent felt that the world could do without certain people, and the former Head of Shinra's Space Program was one of them. The amount of stupid in the Planet would be greatly reduced, at the very least.

_I don't see a way around it,_ he eventually answered. _He's going to ask about symptoms, how and when they manifest. If we want a solution to the problem, I can't very well play dumb with key information. _

_It's going to be an interesting conversation, to put it mildly_.

_Hn._

The door to the office opened and in came a short man with brown hair peppered with silver, and big, round glasses. He wore a checkered blue-and-grey shirt and dark slacks; an immaculate white lab coat bearing the name _Faremis_ over the left breast pocket was carefully draped over his left arm while he carried a suitcase on his right hand. There was a serious expression on his face but he smiled warmly as soon as he saw Vincent sitting next to his assistant's desk.

"Vincent, sorry to keep you waiting," he said, switching his suitcase to his left hand in order to shake Vincent's.

"Don't worry, Professor—I came in here without an appointment, after all."

"Emergencies can't be scheduled, Vincent. Why don't you wait for me in my office? I'll be with you as soon as I check my schedule with Toru."

Vincent nodded and went into Gast's office. He tried to come up with a way to explain his current situation without incurring in the other man's anger but gave up almost immediately. If Gast was going to be angry at him over something he couldn't control, then he'd be better off trying to figure things out on his own.

"That's done," Gast said as he came in. "Now, what's going on, Vincent? You've somehow managed to worry both of my children and that makes _me_ worry."

The gunman shook his head slowly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Of course they told you. You raised them well, Professor."

"I like to think so, but it was mostly my wife's doing, I believe. Now, no more dancing around the subject. What's the matter?"

Vincent sighed and jumped right into it.

"Galian is nearing his mating season. Chaos's influence over him is slowing down the process but it's not enough to stop it. I've been having hot flashes ever since yesterday and…"

He stopped, eying the Professor carefully. Noting that the other man was paying him close attention and seemed interested but not disgusted, he decided to just get it over with.

"The symptoms get worse when Sephiroth is close by. Or when I hear his voice. Even when Chaos completely isolates himself and Galian from me when I'm talking to the General on the phone, I can still… _feel_ Galian's reaction.

"To make matters worse, Galian has somehow managed to affect Chaos. Which means that Chaos will also go into mating season even though he doesn't even _have_ one. According to him, when he's no longer able to contain his or Galian's impulses, Sephiroth will be the focus of their… attention, so to speak. Except, if I understand this correctly, it's me that's going to end up acting out on it."

The gunman finished talking and took a deep breath, waiting for the Professor's outrage to hit him full on.

Except it never did.

Gast just sat behind his desk, taking notes by hand while checking something on his computer. Vincent waited in tense silence for a few minutes, wondering what Gast was thinking.

He found himself looking at a family picture where Gast, Ifalna, Aerith, and Sephiroth posed in front of their house in Sector Two. They all looked relaxed and happy. None of them wore uniforms or lab coats, and a patch of white and yellow lilies behind them brightened the whole picture. Vincent couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips as he remembered Chaos's nickname for Aerith: _flower girl_. The Weapon once told the gunman that Aerith always smelled like flowers to him. If Vincent concentrated, he could also smell the delicate fragrance of flowers about the young woman. She had once given him a vase with lilies from her garden, saying he looked like he could use some cheering up. It was as if she'd been able to sense the gloom that still clung to him in spite of his best efforts to let the past go.

He was reminded of her concern the night before and wondered just how much she had been able to sense in him. She was half Cetra, after all, which meant she was far more attuned to the subtler aspects of life than regular people. He knew both she and Ifalna could sense Chaos, given that all three of them were what the Cetra referred to as 'Planet Protectors'. By extension, they were also aware of Galian, which probably meant that when Aerith commented about Vincent's health she must've felt some of Galian's rampant desires.

_That's rather off-putting, _Chaos mused.

_I don't think I can ever look her straight in the eye again,_ Vincent added.

When the Professor finally spoke, Vincent took a deep breath and let go of his musings. He was temporarily confused when Gast went straight to the technicalities of the issue without a trace of personal investment.

"Has Chaos—or Galian—said why Sephiroth causes such a reaction with them?"

"Uh… No. I mean, Galian doesn't say much of anything to me anymore, and Chaos can't make sense of what's going on beyond basic biology. He just knows that Galian's been reacting to Sephiroth since yesterday."

"Just yesterday?"

"Yes. Um, we really hadn't talked much before then."

Gast looked up from his notes and looked at Vincent with curiosity. "He's mentioned that a few times, yes. Why is that, Vincent?"

This was far more familiar territory and allowed Vincent a chance to regroup after Gast's reaction—or lack thereof, rather.

"Why haven't I talked to the son of the woman I loved and failed to stop from becoming a human guinea pig along with said son?"

Gast removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Vincent, are you still—?"

"This has nothing to do with my feelings for Lucrecia which, by the way, no longer exist. This has to do with the fact that I failed to protect him before he was born and seeing him is a reminder of that failure."

He paused to take a few calming breaths—patiently coached by Chaos—to stop himself from going into a repetitive tirade.

"If it makes you feel any better, Professor, Chaos has already pointed out all the reasons why my reluctance to talk to your son is moot. However, given the fact that both Galian and Chaos are apparently attracted to Sephiroth, I think that trying to be friends with him is going to have to wait."

Gast put his glasses back on and nodded once. "All right. Is there anything else you can tell me about this situation, then?"

Vincent shook his head. "Only that Chaos's best is probably not going to cut it anymore in the near future. He doesn't know how much longer he'll be able to keep Galian under control or what exactly will happen when things come to a head. However, I don't think we have much time, given how fast things have progressed so far."

The Professor took note of that and checked some more files on his computer. After a few minutes, he looked at Vincent with his most serious expression.

"As far as I can see, there is very little information about Galian's origins to be found in Hojo's notes. We haven't taken any samples directly from Galian, either, so it's going to be a bit difficult to determine what the scope of the situation is. I'm afraid we'll need to conduct more tests, Vincent."

The Turk sighed and slumped back on his chair, rubbing his eyes. "I figured as much. Is there any way to get them done today? The summit—"

"Of course," Gast said. "I understand how important the security plans for the summit are and I wouldn't want to keep you away from work longer than necessary. If you are feeling up to it, I will have Toru clear my schedule for the rest of the day and we'll get right to it."

"Let me call Tseng and Cissnei to let them know," Vincent agreed.

At lunchtime, Tseng left his desk and went to the lounge room to get his bento box from the lockers. On his way there, he peeked into Vincent's office and was surprised to find it empty still. Frowning, he reached for his cellphone and dialled the Director's number. It rang a few times before someone other than Vincent picked up.

"_Director Valentine's phone, Toru Ito speaking."_

Tseng knew Toru was Faremis's assistant. If he was answering Vincent's phone, then the Head Turk was still caught up in the Science Department, something Tseng knew his superior hated with a passion.

"Good afternoon, Toru. This is Tseng speaking. I was just checking up on Vincent."

"_Good afternoon, Tseng. I'm afraid Director Valentine is still undergoing some tests with Professor Faremis and cannot answer the phone at this time. I can give him a message as soon as he's free, if you like."_

"I see. There's nothing pressing now so there's no need for any messages, thank you. But, if you'd be so kind as to ask him to let us know when he's done with the tests, I'd appreciate that."

"_Not a problem. Have a good day, Tseng."_

"You, too."

Tseng disconnected the call and stared at his phone for a moment. It worried him that Vincent had gone to see Gast without a previous appointment and that it had led to emergency tests. Given his background, Vincent had to undergo regular check-ups and blood tests, usually every quarter. He would always let him and Cissnei know when his appointments were due with one or two days' anticipation, and if he was feeling poorly before his check-up was due, he'd also tell them about it. Vincent had made it a point not to hide anything from his fellow Turks since the day he took the position of Director, something everyone appreciated. It had been one of the things that earned him their trust almost right away, along with the fact that he saved them from Heidegger's grasp.

He went and got his food from the fridge and sat at a small table in the lounge. He thought about what Cissnei told him that morning, that Vincent had worked for about an hour and then told her he would go see Professor Faremis. She didn't say anything about his physical appearance or his mood, which meant she didn't notice anything wrong with Vincent. That would mean that he suddenly felt ill enough to go to see Faremis without an appointment. That was worrisome in and of itself, but what kind of tests could take over four hours?

His bento box laid unopened in front of him when Cissnei, Elena, and Kunsel walked into the lounge room, each carrying a take-out bag from Seventh Heaven. They all greeted him and sat at the table with him.

"I noticed Vincent's not in his office," Cissnei said. "Has he come back from Gast's office yet?"

Tseng shook his head, finally opening his bento box. "I just called his cellphone. Faremis's assistant picked up and said he's still going through some tests."

"Tests?" Elena asked, stopping with her fork halfway to her mouth. "I thought his next physical wasn't until a week before the summit."

"It is," Cissnei said, frowning. "He didn't seem particularly off this morning."

"But he seemed off, somehow?" Tseng asked.

"We were talking about the summit and he seemed preoccupied when Lazard confirmed that Sephiroth will be replacing Genesis as rep for Soldier. He was concerned that the General's presence at the summit would encourage Avalanche to try something so he asked me to increase surveillance on them along with Elena and Kunsel. He didn't say anything else and, at the time, I just thought that the summit's planning was really starting to get to him. I didn't think it was enough for him to go see Professor Faremis all of a sudden."

"I ran into the General and the Director last night," Kunsel added slowly. "They were on their way to Seventh Heaven and the Director looked fine. But then this morning Zack said that he and Aerith ran into them at the restaurant and the Director left early. According to Zack, Aerith noticed Director Valentine was warmer than normal but he said he was just tired."

Tseng sighed and looked at his watch. It was half past two and they hadn't heard from Vincent yet. None of them were the prying kind but if their leader was in any kind of trouble they had the right to know, not to mention the responsibility to help out in any way they could. He decided to go to Gast's office after lunch to try to get more information, if only to keep the team at ease.

"He won't like you snooping around," Cissnei said with a small smile, noticing Tseng's resolute stare.

The Wutain looked at her with a playful smirk and shrugged. "It's not like he can take disciplinary action against me."

"No, but he might make sure you get stuck with all the boring missions when you're not shadowing Rufus," Elena cut in.

"It's a small price to pay to make sure our boss is all right," Tseng replied.

Once it was decided that Tseng would look into the matter of Vincent's disappearance, talk moved to other areas, mainly Avalanche and the summit. As the three Turks chatted lively, Kunsel refrained from actively participating in the conversation and preferred to watch the interactions of his temporary workmates. By the end of lunch, he concluded that the perception most of the company had about the Turks was rather accurate: they were a pack, tightly bound by loyalty and faithful mostly to each other rather than Shinra itself. That's not to say that they held their personal goals above the company's, just that they had simply formed a deep attachment towards the small group of people they considered their own.

Whether that was healthy or not it wasn't Kunsel's place to judge. He supposed, though, that it was comforting for the Turks, given that all of them were outcasts in one way or another. Cissnei, Reno, and Rude were all orphans; Elena had an older sister but they weren't in speaking terms; Tseng was a Wutain expatriate that fled his country just before the conflict with Shinra started, leaving him in a state of disgrace; and Vincent… well, he was all kinds of out of place. It wasn't so surprising, then, that these six people had developed such deep bonds of camaraderie and loyalty, bonds that might seem strange to outsiders but made perfect sense to them.

Still, the fact that Cissnei knew what Tseng was planning to do before he even said anything was a bit disconcerting.

"Kunsel?"

Tseng's voice brought him out of his analysis.

"Yes, Tseng?"

"Not a word of this to anyone outside the Turks, if you will. The Director would not appreciate it."

Kunsel nodded firmly. "I understand."

"Particularly to Heidegger and Scarlet," Cissnei added.

"Of course."

"Or the General," Elena said.

"Certainly."

The three Turks nodded and went back to whatever they were talking about. Kunsel shook his head slowly and returned to his lunch. The term _pack mentality_ kept coming up during the rest of his assignment with the Turks.

Vincent tried not to drift into unconsciousness as Professor Faremis injected a mix of tranquillisers and suppressants into his left arm. He had to be aware long enough to allow Chaos control of his body so that the Weapon could summon Galian and Professor Faremis could get the samples he needed. The drugs were meant to keep Galian knocked out during the procedures and had to be injected while Vincent was still himself in order for the process to go down as smoothly as possible.

Vincent had already gone through a full physical examination and a psychological evaluation plus tests to determine his stress levels; blood samples of him and Chaos had already been extracted, as well, in addition to some tissue samples. The most embarrassing part had been providing semen samples—his and Chaos's. Professor Faremis mentioned the need to get such a sample from Galian, too, and Vincent had stopped the man before he could get into specifics of just _how_ he was going to manage that.

"All done, Vincent," Gast said. "If you could come with me to the next room then we can begin the procedure."

Vincent grunted in acknowledgement, not daring to nod for fear of falling over. He had to ask Chaos for assistance in getting to the specially prepared room where the next part of the tests would begin.

The room was slightly bigger than an ordinary examination room, with a reinforced steel table in the middle furnished with magnetic straps for the head, torso, wrists, legs, and ankles, all big enough to fit Galian's body. There were several trays in a cart by the table containing needles and syringes as well as many other surgical implements. Looking at them brought flashes of memory to Vincent and he felt his resolve waver. For a moment, he forgot what he was there for and panic surged within him. He tried to leave the room but came face to face with Professor Faremis and two orderlies that cut off his escape.

"Out of my way," Vincent said. His voice was shaky and his eyes darted around looking for alternate escape routes.

"Vincent, you need to focus," Gast said. "Remember, you're here just for some tests. No one is going to harm you."

_Let me, _Chaos half-offered and half-ordered. _You know I'll keep you safe._

_All right,_ Vincent said.

He relinquished control of his body to Chaos, slipping into a warm, comfortable corner of his mind where he allowed himself to drift into slumber. In the meantime, Chaos slipped forward without transforming entirely, the only noticeable change being the colour of Vincent's eyes—they were now a warm gold.

"Chaos?" asked Professor Faremis tentatively.

"Yes," came Chaos's response. He was using Vincent's voice but there was an ethereal rumble behind it. "Vincent is in no condition to keep going."

"Is he all right?" the Professor asked.

"For the most part, but you know how much he loathes laboratories and everything that comes with them. The drugs were beginning to muddle his senses and he was about to get caught in memories best left alone."

"I see. How are you holding up, then?"

"I'm fine. I would like to get this over with as soon as possible, though, so tell me what to do."

Gast nodded and instructed Chaos to remove Vincent's clothes and change into a specially designed robe that would hopefully not tear when Chaos called Galian out. Chaos followed the Professor's instructions quickly and silently, focusing on the restraints he'd placed on Galian over the years. He would have to loosen them enough to allow the creature to take over Vincent's body while keeping them just tight enough to keep him under control while the drugs in Vincent's system flooded Galian's.

Once Chaos was on the table, the orderlies engaged the magnetic restraints—they were loose on Vincent's body but they would fit Galian just fine. As soon as everything was in place, the orderlies left the room, leaving Gast alone with Chaos.

"Are you sure you don't want some muscle here with you?" Chaos asked with a grin.

The Professor gave him a knowing look that wasn't entirely serious. "You know Vincent doesn't like peeping Toms, Chaos."

"I know. But he'd like it even less if you got yourself killed. It would be mightily inconvenient to have to find a new doctor this late in the game."

"Your concern touches me," Gast said with a snicker. "Don't worry about me—I have enough tranquillisers here to knock Galian out ten times over. Now, why don't you let him out and so we can call it a day and allow Vincent some peace?"

"I like the sound of that," Chaos said.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and released it slowly. He repeated the action a few times until he was ready to let Galian loose.

Even if it wasn't his body, whenever Chaos took over all of Vincent's nerve endings became his, so the pain was real for him. He hoped that Vincent was asleep deep enough within his own mind that he wouldn't feel the excruciating ache of rearranging bones and stretching skin. As the gunman's body reorganised itself to give way to Galian, Chaos fought to keep the beast from gaining control over his brain. It felt like an eternity but in reality less than a minute passed by before Galian lay sprawled across the table, shackled by the magnetic restraints all over his body. The beast fought against them for a few seconds before the drug cocktail circulating in the bloodstream that he shared with Vincent took effect and Galian was unconscious on the table.

Gast approached the violet-and-red creature carefully and prodded it with a tongue depressor. When the only reaction that earned him was a puff of a snore, he nodded and went to work as quickly as he could.

Tseng was sitting in the reception area of Professor Faremis's offices, working on his PDA much like Vincent had been doing earlier that day. He had arrived about ten minutes ago and been promptly informed by Toru that Vincent was in the middle of the last procedure of the day and he would be cleared to go home in an hour, at the most. Tseng then decided to wait in case Vincent needed assistance getting back to his apartment—it wouldn't be the first time it happened and he knew his superior would appreciate having one of his own escort him rather than anyone from the Science Department. After all, Vincent had more reason than most to despise personnel in lab coats.

When the door to the offices opened, Tseng didn't even look up from the screen on his hand. He kept working until a shadow loomed over him and he was forced to tear his eyes away from a schematic of the Modeo Hot Baths. Standing in front of him was Sephiroth, looking mischievously at him with his green eyes. Tseng couldn't help the smile that tugged at his mouth as he stood up to greet the General.

"Hello, Sephiroth," he said, shaking hands with the other man.

"Hello, Tseng. What brings you here today?"

The Turk shrugged and sat down again. Given how reserved Vincent was when it came to his health, he didn't want to give too much away to the General. Even if they were friends, he knew about Vincent's connection to Sephiroth's early life, and he knew the older man wanted to keep as much distance as possible between himself and the General. Although Tseng didn't quite understand Vincent's motives, he wasn't one to question them or go against his wishes.

"Just waiting for Vincent," he said eventually.

Sephiroth, who was now sitting next to Tseng, frowned. "Is he—?"

His question was cut short by a howl that came from somewhere in the exam rooms.

Sephiroth and Tseng were on their feet in a second, Tseng's hand on his sidearm while Sephiroth summoned Masamune. Toru, to his credit, didn't run for the door but stayed put even when a second and third howl followed, each longer and louder than the rest. Then the phone on Toru's desk rang and the young man answered immediately. He listened intently and after a shaky 'yes, sir!', he turned to the two men standing at the ready in front of him.

"Tseng, that was Professor Faremis. He wants you in Exam Room 13 ASAP. He wants you to stay here, General."

Tseng nodded and ran into the corridor that led to the examination rooms. Sephiroth was about to protest and demand an explanation as to why he had to stay behind when another howl interrupted him. Acting on instinct, he went after Tseng.

Exam Room 13 was the last one on the left. Two orderlies lay in the corridor just outside the exam room, one of them unconscious and with a gash on his right arm, the other one awake and blabbering with a split eyebrow and a broken nose. He tried to stop Sephiroth and Tseng from entering the room but they were not paying the man any attention.

Tseng kicked the door open, gun at the ready, while Sephiroth remained behind him, Masamune poised over his left shoulder. The sight that greeted them troubled the Turk greatly while it disconcerted the General.

Galian huddled in a corner, apparently struggling to stay awake while at the same time refusing to relinquish his hold on Vincent's body to Chaos. The furry creature kept flickering between its huge, violet form and Chaos's equally large but leaner shape. Galian would howl intermittently while Chaos said nothing, his features twisted into a grimace of concentration and effort whenever he managed to regain control of Vincent's body.

Through this, Professor Faremis stood next to the door, tranquilliser gun at the ready while he held on to at least six darts filled with a faintly glowing blue liquid in his free hand. As soon as the door opened, he turned to Tseng and Sephiroth. Frowning, he went to his son and tried to push him out of the room.

"You have to leave, Sephiroth. And you need to lower your gun, Tseng. You know you won't need it."

Tseng obeyed immediately but Sephiroth refused to leave.

"Why do you want me to leave?" Sephiroth asked, lowering Masamune. "That thing—"

"That _thing_ is Director Valentine," Tseng said tersely.

Sephiroth looked sharply at Tseng and then turned his gaze towards the shifting creature in the corner. He'd never seen any of Vincent's creatures and there hadn't been any pictures in the files he had access to. From the descriptions, however, he deduced the behemoth-like creature was Galian Beast and the winged one had to be Chaos. Which meant Vincent was somewhere in there, unable to regain control of his own body.

"What happened?" he asked.

Realising Sephiroth wouldn't leave, Gast decided to answer his son's question and hoped nothing terrible would come from his presence in the room.

"I'm not entirely sure," he was addressing the other two men in the room but kept an eye on Galian. "I was done taking samples from Galian when he woke up from the deep drug-induced sleep we had him on. He managed to break the magnetic restraints and attack the orderlies before I could hit him with the tranquillisers."

"How many?" Tseng asked, eying Galian carefully. The creature was still fighting Chaos's commands but seemed to be getting tired.

"Four, but I really don't want to use a fifth. It would weaken Galian but it might also impair Chaos and draw out the process."

"Are the samples secured?" Tseng asked.

"Is that really what worries you?" Sephiroth asked, voice laced with disbelief.

Tseng looked at him evenly. "Whatever the Director is going through must be serious enough for him to agree to this whole procedure. If the samples are lost, he will have to go through it again. I would really prefer to spare him that."

"The samples are fine," Gast answered. "I called you here to help me subdue Galian if need be and to help me with Chaos—or Vincent—once Galian steps back."

Just then, Galian howled louder and longer than before, lunging at the three men standing near the door. Tseng pulled Gast out of the way, leaving Sephiroth wide open for the feral creature. He was about to raise Masamune when a female shrill wail—Jenova's—echoed inside his head; it was so loud and sudden that it caused him to stagger back, dropping his sword in the process. He managed to raise his arms in a defensive stance but the impact he expected never came as Galian stopped abruptly, falling to the floor and shrinking back into Chaos's shape. The Weapon growled in pain and exhaustion, curling into a foetal position and covering his body with his wings.

Sephiroth shook his head to clear the remnants of pain from it and went to pick up his sword, keeping a wary eye on the quivering creature in front of him.

"Leave him alone, Sephiroth!" Gast commanded from underneath Tseng.

Sephiroth froze on his tracks and, with a flick of his wrist, Masamune vanished into thin air. He took a step back, staring intently at Chaos. He could still hear Jenova muttering somewhere in the back of his head but her voice was quickly fading away. It had been a long time since he'd heard her and he had to wonder if Vincent's creatures had anything to do with her reappearance.

"Get him _out_ of here," Chaos gritted out.

Tseng blinked, not knowing what Chaos meant, but Gast nodded and pushed himself out of the Turk's protective hold and looked at his son with fierce determination. "You need to leave, Sephiroth."

The General looked at his father, bewildered. "What? I'm not leaving you two alone with—"

"_Shut __**up**__ and __**leave**__, boy_. Get off this floor altogether."

Although Chaos's voice brokered no argument, Sephiroth stood his ground. "Why on Gaia would I do that?"

"Because if you don't," Chaos said, his voice shaking with strain and something decidedly dangerous, "I'm going to do things to you that will make you _long_ for death. Now, _**GO**_."

"Sephiroth, don't be a stubborn ass and do as he says!" Tseng pleaded.

Even though he didn't understand what was going on and he felt deeply insulted by Chaos, not to mention increasingly suspicious of his possible connection to Jenova, Sephiroth relented and left without another word.

It was several minutes before Chaos exhaled shakily and collapsed on the floor, shuddering and panting for breath. He swallowed thickly before half turning towards Tseng and Gast.

"If you're quite done, Professor, I'm going to let Vincent back now. If you can make sure he doesn't wake up in the medical wing I'm sure he would greatly appreciate it."

"Of course," Gast said with a shaky sigh. "Go ahead."

Without a word, Chaos stepped back and allowed Vincent control of his body again. The gunman was still unconscious, however, and remained slumped on the floor. Gast immediately rushed to his side to check his pulse and let out a relieved sigh when he found it was perfectly normal.

"Where are his clothes?" Tseng asked.

"In the top drawer of that cabinet over there," the Professor said.

Together, they redressed Vincent. Tseng had to take a deep breath to quell the homicidal feeling that tried to take over him every time he happened to see Vincent without a shirt. The scars on the man's upper body spoke of unbearable torture and pain. The ragged Y of an autopsy scar and the unmistakeable pucker of a gunshot wound right over the gunman's heart, along with the exit wound on his back and the twin slits on his shoulder blades were Chaos's wings sprouted from, were the most dramatic and noticeable ones, but it was the array of smaller cuts above vital organs that got Tseng gritting his teeth and wishing Hojo hadn't died in that bombing just so he could tear the bastard apart bit by bit. It nauseated Tseng to think that most of what Hojo did was sanctioned by the company he worked for so he tried not to dwell on it too much. Instead, he focused on redressing Vincent and setting him on the examination table before calling Reno and Rude to help him get Vincent to his apartment.

While he waited, Gast had security take the two injured orderlies to the medical wing and he gathered all of Vincent's samples in a password protected briefcase.

"When will the test results be ready?" Tseng asked.

"I'll make this my top priority so they should be done within forty-eight hours. I'll work over the weekend if I need to," Gast said.

He looked at Vincent's sleeping form and then at Tseng. His brown eyes had the same intensity in them as when he ordered Sephiroth to leave.

"I'm sure he'll want to go back to work as soon as he wakes up but he can't. And he can't be around Sephiroth, either. I'll talk to Rufus and Lazard about this in order to figure out what to do about the summit."

Tseng nodded slowly. He didn't want to ask too many questions, knowing Vincent would relay whatever he deemed important enough to him and the others in due time, but there was something troubling him.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for him to remain in his apartment? It's on the same building as Sephiroth's and Chaos wanted him off the floor entirely."

"It will be fine. I'll have Sephiroth stay with us in Sector Two while we figure everything out."

Reno and Rude arrived then. As soon as they saw Vincent passed out on the examination table and took stock of the damage done to the room, both Turks shot an alarmed look at Tseng.

"What the fuck happened here, yo?"

"Mind your language, young man," Gast said, only half serious.

"Uh, sorry, Professor," Reno said, scratching the back of his head. "But, I mean…"

Tseng shook his head. "Vincent came in for some tests and it appears that he lost control of Galian momentarily. There were no casualties and the Director is just sleeping. That's all we need to know at the moment."

Looking at each other briefly, both Turks nodded and awaited instructions.

"We need to get him to his apartment," Tseng said. "I'll need one of you to stay with him until he wakes up to make sure he doesn't try to downplay this and go back to work right away."

"I'll do it," Reno offered. "I'm the only one not working on the summit planning, anyway."

"Good. Not a word to anyone outside the Turks, you hear? Professor Gast will handle the rest of the departments. As far as we're concerned, the Director is taking an indefinite medical leave, leaving me and Cissnei in charge."

"You got it," Reno said.

"Understood," Rude added.

"Right. Let's get him to his apartment, then."


	4. Cell-Deep Connections

**Chapter Summary:**

The General finds out that his connection to the Director of the Turks runs deeper than anyone imagined. Dealing with this won't come easy to a man that can hardly understand his own emotions, let alone those of the man who's been avoiding him for the last four years. Luckily, Sephiroth has a sister that can talk to the Planet and a friend who knows Loveless backwards and forwards. That ought to help… right?

—

Sephiroth entered his room in a flurry of leather and silver hair, mind racing as he struggled to recall every single interaction of his with Vincent Valentine in the four years since the man had returned from Nibelheim. Specifically, he was trying to remember if Jenova had ever reacted to the other man's presence before Galian came at him earlier at the labs.

The first time they had seen each other was during the meeting where Soldier had been informed that Vincent would rejoin Shinra as Head Turk. The four Soldiers First Class had been there, as well as Sephiroth's father, Rufus, Lazard, and Cloud. Other than introducing himself and stating his desire to forge an amicable relationship between his department and Soldier, Vincent didn't say much. He just sat there while Professor Faremis explained Vincent's condition in broad strokes and Cloud vouched for the man's strength and control over the creatures that took up residence in his body.

At the time, it had seemed a little odd to Sephiroth that Cloud had been at that meeting at all, even taking into account how close he was to Zack. His account of Vincent's character struck him as unnecessary and out of place, making it even harder for him to understand why he had been allowed to sit at the meeting at all. He asked Lazard about it afterwards and the Director of Soldier explained to him that Cloud had personal ties to Vincent given that the Turk had meet the Second's mother during his last assignment. Besides, it had been the blond who found the gunman in the basement of the Shinra Mansion, and both he and Kunsel had witnessed first hand the raw power of Galian when it managed to slip free of Vincent's control. Because of that, Cloud was concerned that Soldier might not approve of the gunman's return to the company if they deemed him dangerous, so he asked Lazard for a chance to speak in Vincent's favour. Not seeing the harm in it and thinking it would help Vincent's morale, the Director agreed.

Trying to forget the fact that he felt irrationally jealous of the young blond's connection to the gunman, Sephiroth focused on his mental state at the meeting. He remembered being curious about Valentine, having read the reports regarding his mission as security for the Science Department detail stationed at Nibelheim during the Jenova Project's early stages, but that was about it. Jenova had been mostly silent for some years at that point and, although he could still sometimes hear her whispering in the back of his mind, he could ignore her without difficulty. He hadn't heard her once during that meeting, nor during any subsequent meetings that involved the new Head Turk.

It was, in fact, the opposite—whenever he was close to Vincent, his mind felt clearer and freer than at any other moment. The only exception, other than his earlier encounter with Galian, had been during the previous night, when Vincent's eyes flashed gold right after he excused himself and rushed to the restrooms. During that fraction of a second, Sephiroth had felt something in the coldest corner of his mind stir with fear and resentment. It was gone as soon as it came, and its disappearance coincided with the Turk's abrupt departure.

And then there was the incident at the labs. Jenova had begun to stir as soon as he heard Galian's first howl, although at the time he was rather preoccupied with finding out where the howl was coming from so he easily ignored the shrill voice fluttering about inside his head. Seeing Galian rapidly shifting between his own form and Chaos's provided yet another distraction, and it wasn't until Jenova went into full hysterics that he was forced to acknowledge her presence. There was no doubt in Sephiroth's mind that something about Galian greatly disturbed the alien presence in his body. At the same time, he was certain that something about Chaos almost completely neutralised Jenova, as she had gradually stepped back after his appearance. He could clearly recall her frustration but it was her fear that stood out the most.

He went into his studio and powered up his computer, intent on reviewing everything he could find on the creatures living within Vincent. He knew he would probably have to get further clearance from the Science Department but he was fairly confident his father would help with that.

'_Speak of the devil,' _he thought as his phone rang and the caller ID told him it was his father calling.

"Father?"

"_Sephiroth. Where are you?"_

"In my apartment. I—"

"_I need you to pack your things and move to our house. It's an indefinite thing so make sure you bring everything you'll need. It's already been cleared with President Rufus and Lazard so don't worry about that."_

Sephiroth frowned and closed his computer with more force than he meant. "What? Why do I—?"

"_Please just do as I ask, son. I promise I'll explain as much as I can later tonight."_

He could argue for a few minutes and incur in his father's anger, causing his inevitable stay at his parents' home—because there was no way Sephiroth would win this argument, not when both Rufus and Lazard had already green lighted his move—to be an unpleasant ordeal for everyone involved. Arguing, therefore, was a waste of time and breath.

"Understood. I will pack everything I need and be home in a couple of hours. I'll just stop by to check on Angeal and Genesis before leaving, if that's acceptable."

"_Of course. Just stay as far away from Director Valentine as you can."_

His frown deepened and a cold feeling gripped his chest. "Is this about what happened in the labs?"

After a slight hesitation, Gast said, _"Yes. But I can't discuss it over the phone. Just get packed and go home as soon as you can."_

"All right."

The call ended and Sephiroth started moving on autopilot. He was used to packing at a moment's notice given the nature of his work, so he'd learned how to be quick and efficient about it. He debated whether to carry his two suitcases to Angeal and Genesis's apartment or have someone from the company deliver them to his parents' while he visited his friends. Deciding he didn't want to risk any of his belongings getting damaged or going missing—_again_; those blasted fans always found a way to steal his belts, leaving him in the really awkward position of having to denounce their theft to Security, meaning Heidegger had ample opportunity to laugh at him whenever they met—, he took the suitcases with him.

Fifteen minutes later, he was about to knock on the door to Genesis and Angeal's apartment when it flew open inwards and he was face to face with an enraged Genesis. The slightly shorter man gave him a withering glare with his blue eyes before trying to move past him. However, as soon as he noticed the suitcases in Sephiroth's hands, Genesis stopped and looked at his friend with curiosity rather than barely contained fury.

"Are they sending you off somewhere?"

Sephiroth couldn't help but smile lopsidedly and shrug. "In a manner of speaking. I'm to move back to my parents' house for an indeterminate amount of time. I was just here to let you guys know and check on you."

Genesis hesitated, obviously caught between wanting to speak to his friend and not wanting to be in his apartment for whatever reason. With a sigh, he went back inside and motioned for Sephiroth to follow him.

They had barely made it to the living room when Angeal came rushing out of the hallway leading to the master bedroom, managing to look concerned and relieved at the same time. Sephiroth immediately caught on to the fact that his friends had just been in a quarrel of sorts, most likely romantic in nature, and he'd intruded on Genesis's no doubt dramatic exit. He felt suddenly awkward and, not wanting to get caught in the middle of a lovers' spat, he picked up his suitcases from where he'd left them and tried to leave.

"Like I said, Genesis, I'm just going to my parents' for a while—"

"Don't you _dare_ leave like that," Genesis said.

He whirled around so quickly that he made himself dizzy. He stumbled a couple of steps to the side and would have fallen to the hardwood floor if Angeal's quick reflexes hadn't allowed him to be at his side in the blink of an eye to keep him upright. With an angry scowl, Genesis shoved the taller man away and went to stand by the wall, bracing himself against it to avoid a repeat of his ungraceful mishap.

"I told you I don't need your pity, Angeal."

"And I told you it's _not_ pity, Gen! You're not well and you need to rest while Professor Faremis finds a way to stop whatever's eating away at your strength. You've already been pulled away from the energy summit next month, and if you don't slow down and take care of yourself you're going to end up in administrative leave!"

Sephiroth looked from one of his friends to the other and found himself having to avert his gaze from the couple. He could read all that Genesis wasn't saying in his body language: _I don't want you to look down on me, Angeal. I want us to remain being equals and that can't happen if you're constantly worried about my health. I will not become a burden to you. _

Angeal's eyes spoke volumes, too: _I love you too much to see you injured out of your stubborn sense of pride. I want us to fight side by side like we've always done, so _please_ let me help you. You are not a burden—I _want_ to be by your side through all of this. _

Most painful of all was that he was certain that both men knew what the other thought and felt, yet neither of them could find the right words to say to make things right between them.

Genesis was arrogant and vain and took great pride in having climbed the ranks at Shinra on his own steam, Project G's enhancements notwithstanding. When they made it into the Soldier program, he had created a whole elaborate competition between himself, Angeal, and Sephiroth, something which the other two men didn't exactly agree with but had never been able to discourage entirely. For him to find himself getting the extremely short stick of Project G's side effects had been a great blow to his pride, not to mention his self-esteem.

When they first realised his healing abilities had greatly decelerated, causing wounds that would normally take a few minutes to heal to remain open for hours and leaving behind pale markings that weren't quite scars, Sephiroth's father had recommended that Genesis's field work was cut down at least in half. That had been two months prior and Genesis had gone for another evaluation two days ago. The preliminary results ended in yet another recommendation for the auburn-haired man to lower his physical workload, which in turn led to his participation at the energy summit in Modeoheim to be cancelled. Sephiroth had not seen his friend since before the decision was made but it was plain to see that he hadn't taken the news well.

All through this process, Angeal and Sephiroth had done their best to make Genesis feel like things hadn't changed. They still practiced together at least once a week, never pulling their punches or showing mercy to one another. However, Sephiroth had missed their last two sparring matches entirely on purpose—he noticed how weak Genesis was getting, how much longer it took for him to recover from a parry or a leg sweep. He talked about it with Angeal and the other First agreed with Sephiroth's conclusion that it was best if he didn't fight Genesis anymore. The red-cloaked Soldier would never forgive him if he saw the hesitance in his eyes whenever they sparred.

Together, Angeal and Sephiroth came up with suitable excuses for the General's absences. He had a feeling Genesis knew the truth, though, but if he did he never said anything. Sephiroth had kept tabs on his friend through Angeal and his father, and he knew the auburn-haired man was showing no signs of wanting to take a break to take care of his health. In light of the last test's results and the small exchange between his friends a moment before, Sephiroth guessed that Genesis's stubbornness and Angeal's desire to keep his lover in one piece had somehow sparked a fight that led the shorter of the three men to try to escape the apartment.

Except he ran into Sephiroth and now here they all were, standing around awkwardly in the living room, neither of them knowing what to say to cut the tension until Angeal just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Going away to your parents', Seph? Who are _you_ running away from?"

Under normal circumstances, the glare Genesis shot his way would've had Angeal apologising almost automatically but the larger man didn't bite. Instead, he moved to sit on the couch while gesturing for Sephiroth to do the same. He didn't bother with Genesis, knowing his lover would do whatever he wanted.

Glad for the small reprieve, Sephiroth left his suitcases on the floor near the door and sat next to Angeal.

"I'm not sure," he said, answering Angeal's question. "Director Valentine, apparently, but I don't know why."

That piqued Genesis's interest and pried him away from the wall. He sat on the armchair closest to him, and Sephiroth couldn't help but notice the small wince that flashed across his friend's face as he did so nor the relieved half-sigh that escaped his lips once he was settled in the comfortable leather.

"How can you not be sure?" Genesis asked.

"Start from the beginning, friend," Angeal suggested.

"Yesterday, shortly after Lazard told me I'd be replacing Genesis at the summit, I ran into Director Valentine at the elevator."

He waited for a breath to see if his comment about the summit would elicit some sort of comment or response from either of his friends. When neither said anything, he continued.

"He seemed… tired. I don't know why that encouraged me to engage him in conversation and invite him to go out drinking with me. He didn't seem keen on the idea, not until I mentioned that he and I would be working together in the near future. In the end he agreed to go out to dinner, but only because he saw it as an opportunity to talk about work."

"Are you sure about that?" Genesis asked. He had curled up on the armchair, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his head on his knees.

"How do you mean?" Sephiroth asked. He feared Genesis would go on a tangent but he had to admit that, in spite of his faults, his friend was far more knowledgable about interpersonal relationships than he was.

"Did he say he only wanted to talk about work or are you just assuming this?"

"He didn't say it right then. At dinner, though…" Sephiroth sighed and shook his head slowly. "I expressed a desire for us to get to know each other better outside of work. I said I would like for us to become friends and he… he said he wants to look after me but that he doesn't think he can have friends ever again."

"That's strange," Angeal said, leaning back on the couch and crossing his arms over his chest. "I've seen him go out for lunch with the Turks sometimes. Even with Cloud. The kid really looks up to him and Vincent has requested his assistance a number of times."

Again, Sephiroth had to suppress an irrational sense of jealousy at the mention of Cloud.

"I know. I asked about that, and he said none of them are his friends. The Turks are the Turks and Cloud sees him as a father figure, a fact he doesn't seem to mind. Other than that, though, he seems completely cut off from the world, at least emotionally."

"Did he say why?" Genesis asked.

"He feels out of place, I think. And… he also seems to believe he won't live much longer. He mentioned that the protomateria that stabilises Chaos is malfunctioning and it'll become a problem if he can't fix it."

The other two Soldiers knew about as much of Vincent and Chaos as Sephiroth did, so neither inquired about that.

After a long pause, Genesis leaned forward, looking intently at Sephiroth.

"What is your interest in Vincent Valentine, Sephiroth?" Noticing the look the General gave him, Genesis held up his hand to stop him. "Listen. He's been back from Nibelheim for over four years now, and he's been working for the company for the last three. There have been plenty of opportunities for you to approach him before yesterday and yet you never did. _That's_ the norm for you, Sephiroth—you don't approach people out of the blue. Yet you did with Director Valentine and, please don't be offended, but you seem very disillusioned that he disregarded your intentions. I would like to know why."

"Why does it matter?" Sephiroth countered, crossing his arms across his chest in a way that made him seem younger than his thirty years.

"Because any advice I can give will depend upon that."

Sephiroth thought about it for a long moment. He hadn't stopped to think about the reasons behind his disappointment, instead wallowing in the disappointment itself. He was angry at himself when he didn't find a logical answer, something neither of his friends missed.

"Ah, I see," Genesis said. His lips curved in a small smile that was only half mocking; the other half was actually concerned.

"See what?" Sephiroth asked. He was trying very hard not to pout.

"You don't have a logical explanation," Angeal intervened. "If you did, you would've come up with it in the blink of an eye."

"That means it's a matter of the heart," Genesis continued. "And those are tricky, my friend."

"What's your advice, then?" The pout was there now, whether he wanted it or not.

Genesis shook his head slowly. "Leave it alone until you figure out why becoming his friend is so important to you. If you keep pushing without knowing that, you risk harm not only to the Director, but to yourself, as well."

"Well, that shouldn't be particularly difficult," Sephiroth said with a huff. "Apparently one or both of the creatures living within him have taken exception to me and I have to move in with my parents' to avoid their wrath." He paused for a moment and decided to voice the entirety of his concerns and suspicions. "I don't think it's _me_, though, not exactly."

"You mean Jenova," Angeal said. He sat up and turned to Sephiroth fully.

The silver-haired Soldier nodded. "I went to the labs earlier today to talk to my father over lunch. I hadn't been at his office for more than five minutes when a howl came from one of the examination rooms. It was one of Vincent's creatures, the one they call Galian. For some reason, Father was taking tissue samples from it when it woke up and attacked the orderlies. It took Chaos a while to rein in the creature, and in that interim… Jenova went crazy. She was shrieking, angry and panicked. Before I could react, Chaos finally took control of Vincent's body and Jenova's voice faded away. It was like Chaos was somehow able to subdue her."

"Have you told Gast any of this?" Genesis asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

"I think he knows. Maybe not all of it but enough to want me to stay away from Vincent. He didn't want me in the room with him—when Galian broke free, he called Toru and told him to send Tseng over but to tell me to stay put. I went, anyway, and when I got to the exam room Father tried to get me to leave. When Chaos took over, he ordered me to go; in fact, he told me to leave the floor entirely. Father agreed with him. He was the one who arranged for me to move back to my parents'—he even cleared it with Rufus and Lazard before calling me."

Angeal and Genesis looked at each other, all fight gone from their eyes and replaced by a cautious sort of optimism. None of them voiced their thoughts on that front, however, choosing to focus on their friend and his current situation.

"You'll still be showing up for work, I suppose," Angeal said.

Sephiroth managed a smile. "Of course. Someone has to pick up Genesis's slack."

"Very funny," Genesis said. "At least one good thing has come from your father grounding me."

"And what's that?" Sephiroth asked.

"I don't have to deal with incompetent cadets anymore. That wonderful privilege will now fall upon your distinguished shoulders, my friend."

Sephiroth groaned; he hadn't thought of that. Angeal and Genesis laughed at his expense and he eventually joined them. When his laughter died out, he sighed and flopped back on the couch, all thoughts of propriety and grace long since gone. He covered his eyes with his left arm and pouted.

"Anything else bothering you?" Angeal asked.

"What if my interest in Vincent _does_ end up being romantic?"

Genesis stood up slowly and gingerly picked his way towards his friend. He had Angeal make room for him on the couch and he sat next to Sephiroth, pulling the slightly stockier man towards him so Sephiroth's head rested on his lap. Stubbornly, Sephiroth continued to cover his face with his arm; Genesis allowed him that small barrier and began combing his fingers through his friend's long silver locks. Sephiroth sighed and relaxed, allowing the auburn-haired man to comfort him.

"If you ask me, I think it might be," Genesis eventually said. "But there's also a very good chance that you're idealising Director Valentine. We all know his backstory and, well, one would have to be heartless not to be moved by it in some capacity. Additionally, you have more reason than most to admire the man."

"More than Strife?" Sephiroth asked. He was aware of how petulant he sounded but he didn't care. Not when he was with his two best friends.

"Aha," Angeal said. "Jealous, are you?"

Sephiroth huffed and did his best to curl all his 6'1" on the couch while keeping his head resting on Genesis's lap.

"I don't know. I guess," he said once he was more or less comfortable on his right side. "I can understand Vincent's attachment to the Turks—they're a family of sorts and they have their own code. 'Once a Turk, always a Turk', and all that. But Cloud Strife?"

"A chance connection," Genesis said placatingly. "Much like yours with Valentine."

"It's not as if Cloud could be an obstacle if your feelings turn out to be romantic," Angeal chimed in. "He has Tifa and he sees Vincent as a father figure, not a potential lover."

"You're creating a tempest in a teapot, Sephiroth. You need to figure out what Director Valentine's connection to Jenova is and you need to sort your feelings out. Until then, you should not be worrying about Cloud, the Turks, or anything else."

Sephiroth sighed and nodded as best as he could given his position. "All right. Given that you'll be spending a lot of time here, is it okay if I pick your brain now and then regarding this?"

"I'd be offended if you went to anyone else."

"Way to leave me out of it, guys," Angeal

Genesis smiled and reached back to kiss his lover's cheek. "We're a package deal, Geal."

"You're rhyming, so I'll take that as my cue to leave," Sephiroth said as he disentangled himself from Genesis's hold. He stood up and stretched, feeling a bit lighter than when he came in. Eying his friends carefully, he said, "Are you two going to be all right?"

Genesis and Angeal looked at each other for a moment. It was Genesis that said, "Yes, I believe we will. I'll… I'll try to be less stubborn and let Angeal help me out a bit more."

Angeal smiled and rested his forehead on Genesis's shoulder. "Good. I'll try to be less of a mother hen and more understanding of your situation."

"You're not off the hook for chickening out of our sparring sessions, though," Genesis told Sephiroth.

"I'll bring you some of Aerith's flowers and tea next time."

"All right, you're off the hook."

Sephiroth grinned and leaned down to kiss the top of Genesis head and to pat Angeal's shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't bother getting up, I'll see myself out."

Genesis waited two minutes after the door closed behind Sephiroth before curling on Angeal's lap and resting his head on the other man's strong chest.

"He's got it bad," he said.

"Hmm? Got what?"

The auburn-haired man rolled his eyes and punched Angeal lightly on the shoulder. "He's in love with Director Valentine."

"Now, Gen, just because—"

"Of course neither of you would notice right away. He's so out of tune with his own emotions he wouldn't recognise love even if you described it clinically to him. And you—it took you _years_ to notice how I felt about you, not to mention how _you_ felt about _me_. For me, though, both of you are clearer than _Loveless_."

Angeal chuckled and wrapped his arms around Genesis, drawing him closer to him as he kissed his forehead. "You got me there. Are you sure, though?"

Genesis sighed, sadness creeping into his voice as he replied. "Yes. I'm afraid our friend has a long, painful road ahead of him. I cannot claim to know how Valentine will react to the news, but I do know that if he does have feelings for Sephiroth, he won't readily accept them. I mean… after everything he's gone through already, can you imagine falling for the son of the woman he loved? Even if she hadn't gone and betrayed him and _experimented_ on him with her _husband_'s help, the fact that he once had feelings for her must be a strong enough deterrent in his mind. To say nothing of the creatures he now harbours."

"Creatures that could be the answer to your health problems and Sephiroth's."

Closing his eyes, Genesis held on tighter to Angeal. "I don't want to get my hopes up on that front. But yes, the thought crossed my mind when Sephiroth mentioned what happened at the labs. If Vincent's creatures are, indeed, the answer to our problems…" He paused, a frown creasing his brow. "That would bring them closer while pulling them apart, I'm afraid."

"Makes you wish Hojo were alive just so we could butcher him, doesn't it?" Angeal asked.

"Indeed."

About an hour after leaving the Shinra Building, Sephiroth arrived at his parents' house. He went into the living room and called out to his mother and sister but received no answer. It wasn't exactly a surprise given that it was barely after five o'clock and Ifalna and Aerith usually got off work at that time. With a sigh, Sephiroth went to his old room and unpacked before taking a quick shower. He did his best not to dwell on Vincent but the incident at the labs kept circling back into his mind, unbidden and relentless. In an effort to keep his mind occupied, he went to the backyard to check Aerith's flowers and plants.

As he watered Aerith's favourite lilies, his mind wandered towards his friends. Angeal had an open invitation to visit Aerith's garden, given his affection for all kinds of plants. Genesis, on the other hand, wasn't overly fond of potted plants because they tended to foster bugs and if there was something city-boy Rhapsodos hated, it was bugs. Somehow, this fact had made its way to their fan clubs and an email began to circulate detailing a conversation between Genesis and Angeal where the auburn-haired Soldier complained about the bugs that came into his apartment because of Angeal's plants. That had been before they moved in together, something that had thankfully _not_ reached their fans' ears. Sephiroth could barely imagine the PR nightmare that would ensue if his friends' fans found out they were living together, amongst other things.

Sephiroth was happy for them, and not only because he knew that, in spite of Genesis's stubbornness, Angeal had managed to keep Genesis calm in the face of his deteriorating health. It had been Angeal who nearly dragged Genesis to Gast's office to examine an array of cuts and bruises that hadn't healed overnight after a skirmish with Avalanche operatives outside of Midgar. If he hadn't done so, Genesis probably would've waited until something much more serious happened and that might have proven fatal for the _Loveless_ enthusiast.

Idly, Sephiroth wondered if Vincent had someone like that in his life. Not a lover, but someone who would drag him to the doctor's office when he was unwell, whether he wanted it or not. Given that Tseng was at his father's office earlier that day waiting for the Director, Sephiroth supposed he did. But that was because both Vincent and Tseng were Turks, wasn't it? Would Vincent allow anyone other than his Turks to care for him like that?

_Perhaps Cloud, _he thought bitterly.

There it was again. Jealousy at the mere thought of Cloud. It made no sense, particularly taking into account what Angeal had said about the Second having a girlfriend and seeing Vincent as a father figure. Then again, perhaps he wasn't jealous of Cloud so much as of how close he was to the Director. After all, Angeal had also mentioned that the blond went out to lunch with Vincent on occasion, in addition to working with the Turks at the gunman's request. That, in turn, reminded him that the Director had never requested _his_ help—whenever a Soldier First Class was required to work with the Turks, however infrequent that was, Genesis was the go-to person. Even Angeal had worked with them on occasion, although it had always been a spur of the moment thing.

Sephiroth wondered if his friends knew more about the situation than they let on during their conversation.

"You're going to drown them, brother."

Aerith's sweet, slightly mocking voice tore him apart from his realisation. He shut off the valve on the hose and turned around to find his sister standing under the archway that divided the patio from the garden itself, smiling at him with that all-knowing glint in her emerald eyes. He left the hose on the ground and walked over to Aerith, hugging her tight and soaking up the sense of calm that always seemed to radiate from the young woman.

"You're so tense," she said as she rubbed his back. "Is everything all right?"

With a slow shake of his head, Sephiroth held his sister at arm's length. "Not really. I… I might need to talk to you about some things later, if you have time."

"Of course," Aerith said.

She hooked her arm on Sephiroth's and together they walked back into the house. The brunette led her brother into the kitchen, where their mother was putting away some groceries. Sephiroth kissed his mother's cheek and started helping out with the stuff that needed to go into the higher shelves.

"It's good to have you home, dear," Ifalna said.

"So Father told you?"

"Tell what?" Aerith asked. She was getting ready to make dinner.

"I'll be staying home for… well, I don't know how long."

"Oh," Aerith said. "Zack didn't mention anything when I talked to him before coming back home."

"I didn't tell him," Sephiroth said. "I just talked to Genesis and Angeal before leaving." Noticing the disapproving look Aerith shot him, he raised his hands in a defensive position. "It's no big deal. I'm not taking a vacation or anything. I'll let him know tomorrow when I go in to check on Gen."

"Hmm," was all Aerith said.

"Your father didn't tell me why you'll be staying with us, though."

Sephiroth closed the last cupboard and sat on a stool at the bar that divided the dining room from the kitchen. "I think it has something to do with Director Valentine but I don't know the specifics. Father said he would explain it when he came home."

Aerith fumbled with the bottle of tomato sauce she was trying to open. Sephiroth noticed the minute widening of her eyes as well as the way her shoulders tensed up, but it was there and gone in a flash. Not wanting to put her sister on the spot, he let it slip and returned his attention to his mother.

"Is Vincent all right?" Ifalna asked. "Your father and I were supposed to review some files together but Toru called around noon to let me know Gast would be busy with Vincent most of the day."

"I don't really know," Sephiroth said. "I went to talk to Father around lunch time and… there was an incident involving the Director. Galian went on a bit of a rampage while undergoing some tests. Nothing major, though."

"That poor man," Ifalna said, shaking her head sadly. "I wish there was something we could do to remove those creatures from him without harming him."

"Dad hasn't given up," Aerith said softly.

"I know. But it sounds like Vincent has, sometimes."

"Because of the protomateria, you mean?" Sephiroth asked.

"You know about that?" Ifalna sounded surprised.

Sephiroth nodded slowly as he peeled an orange he took from the fruit bowl. He wasn't particularly hungry but he needed to do something with his hands, otherwise he'd offer to help Aerith with dinner and that wouldn't end well.

"He mentioned it in passing last night."

"Last—? Oh, right. Aerith said she and Zack ran into both of you at Tifa's bar. Well, how much did he say about it?"

"Not a lot. Just that he won't last very long if he and Chaos can't find a way to fix it."

"Put simply, yes. He's not suffering any side effects yet, I don't think. Your father seems confident enough that they'll be able to stabilise it before it becomes a real problem."

Sephiroth frowned. "Vincent sounded much less optimistic when he brought it up."

"He's not the most positive of people when it comes to his condition," Ifalna said with a shrug.

While he mulled this new information over, the phone rang. Ifalna picked it up in the living room, leaving Sephiroth and Aerith alone. He divided the orange in two and went over to his sister, offering her half. She smiled at him and took the fruit, popping a slice into her mouth as she tossed some chicken into a hot pan.

Leaning against the dishwasher, Sephiroth ate some of his orange. When he realised his mother was talking to his father on the phone, he deemed it safe to pry a little into Aerith's earlier reaction—after all, their parents' phone conversations took at least ten minutes, particularly if Gast was working late. When he was younger, he used to think they were exceedingly cloying; now, however, he couldn't help but smile at the pet names they had for each other and was amazed that they were so in love even after nearly thirty years together.

With a small smile, he nudged Aerith's foot with his. "You know something."

Not turning to look at him, she replied, "I know lots of things."

"You know something I don't." Anticipating her evasive reply, he added, "About Vincent."

Flipping the chicken and then moving to check the water she had set to boil for the pasta, the young Cetra looked troubled. Sephiroth frowned and gently grabbed her wrist once she let go of the ladle she'd used to stir the water.

"Hey," he said. "What's wrong, Eri?"

'Eri' was the nickname Sephiroth had come up with for Aerith when they were younger. He didn't use it often anymore, only when he wanted to tease her or reassure her. It brought a small smile to her lips now, although Sephiroth could still see the uncertainty in her eyes.

"It's not something we can fully discuss in the time it will take mom and dad to finish talking. It might be best to wait until you've talked to dad."

"Okay," Sephiroth said. Wanting her to relax, he decided to change topics. "I promised Genesis I'd stop by tomorrow and that I'd bring him some of your flowers and more of that herbal tea you sent him a few weeks ago."

"What are you making up for?" Aerith asked.

The mirth and mischief were back in her voice and eyes, making Sephiroth feel better.

"I ditched our last two sparring matches and he was threatening to lord it over me."

"That would do it. I'll leave them ready for you in the counter. How is he, anyway?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "The same, more or less. He has to go back to see Father on Monday for a follow-up of his last appointment and his field work load has been cut again. He won't be representing Soldier at the summit next month."

"He can't be in a very good mood, given all of that."

"I think he and Angeal had just had an argument when I dropped by earlier to let them know I'd be staying here. Luckily, that whole thing with Vincent distracted them from their own issues for a while. They seemed to have patched things up by the time I left."

Aerith emptied a packet of pasta unto the boiling water and then prepared a baking dish. "At least something good came out of your ordeal."

"Who said it was my ordeal?"

"Like you said, I know things." Before he could reply, she said, "Could you light the oven for me, please?"

"Sure."

Less than an hour later, all four members of the Faremis-Gainsborough family sat at the table eating Aerith's oven-baked chicken pasta. As per Ifalna's request, Sephiroth and Gast refrained from discussing work related matters, so the conversation inevitably stirred towards Sephiroth's birthday.

When Gast and Ifalna officially adopted Sephiroth, they found out that no one had ever celebrated his birthday until he turned 13. They asked him why and he said that Hojo had never told him the date of his birth and had never made any effort to take part in the usual social conventions such as birthdays. It wasn't until Sephiroth met Angeal, Genesis, and Rufus on the year he turned thirteen, which was also the year Hojo got him into the Soldier program, that anyone took an interest in his birthday. All of them found it odd that their new friend didn't know when his birthday was and they tried to get Sephiroth to convince Hojo to tell him at least the month of his birth so they could celebrate with him. At the time, however, Sephiroth was still very much under Hojo's strict influence and never dared question his biological father. The other boys then decided to pick a day at random to give presents to their friend, the 15th of October being the chosen date.

Surprisingly, the boys weren't that far off. After returning to Midgar, Gast went through all of Hojo's files on Sephiroth and found that the young man's birthdate was October 6th. He informed Sephiroth but the silver-haired youth decided to keep celebrating on the 15th. Given that Hojo had never bothered with a birth certificate, Gast decided to humour his son and set down October 15th as his official date of birth when the adoption papers were drawn.

This year, Sephiroth's birthday would coincide with the energy summit in Modeoheim, so the plan was to celebrate afterwards.

"I imagine you will want something low key once again," Gast said good-humouredly.

"Well, yes. Nothing has changed since last year so there's no one new I'd like to invite."

That wasn't quite true, but given the fact that he couldn't be in the same room as Vincent without something going horribly wrong he wasn't about to invite him to his birthday party.

Once again, Aerith faltered at her brother's comment, nearly dropping her fork to the floor. Their parents said nothing so, once again, Sephiroth let it slip.

"Where do you want to have the get-together?" Ifalna asked.

"Seventh Heaven would be fine," Sephiroth said. "Unless you're tired of it."

"Not at all," Gast said, waving his fork.

"Is there anything you would like as a present?" his mother asked.

Sephiroth thought about it for a moment. Usually he asked for practical things like mastered materia or some new piece of armour or equipment that might come in handy in the battlefield. And, usually, his family and friends would oblige him while adding something less practical and more recreational. That's how he got most of his books and where his growing collection of porcelain figurines came from. The Turks had even given him an incense kit the previous year, something he never would've chosen for himself but that he'd found very useful more than once.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to choose, though, so he still hadn't come up with anything.

"I really don't know," he said with a small shrug. "I guess I'll let you decide."

"Well, there's still time so if you think of—"

Ifalna was interrupted by the ringing of Gast's phone. With a sheepish smile, the man apologised and went into the living room to answer. He came back not five minutes later and sat heavily on his chair.

"What is it?" Ifalna asked.

"Work related is what it is. Now, Sephiroth, about your birthday—"

Ifalna rolled her green eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, dear. It's obviously something important so go ahead."

"Vincent is awake," Gast said. "Tseng called to let me know. He said Vincent is a bit tired but otherwise seems to be holding up all right. I'll check on him tomorrow."

"That's good news," Ifalna said with a smile.

"Yes. Perhaps not the only good news we'll have in the next few days, either."

Aerith stood up and went to the sink to rinse her plate. Sephiroth took that as a cue to end dinner.

"Father? Could we have that talk now?"

Gast exchanged a look with Ifalna. She smiled and started clearing the table.

"I'll make some coffee and tea. You boys go to the living room." She paused for a moment before placing a gentle hand on Aerith's shoulder. "You, too, sweetie."

Aerith nodded, kissing her mother's cheek softly before following the two men to the living room. While Gast took up his favourite armchair, Aerith sat next to Sephiroth on the couch, curling on his side and holding his hand. Sephiroth looked at her and immediately tensed up.

The last time she'd looked so serious had been a few months after they first met. The Science Department had found the secret laboratory where Hojo had hidden Jenova and Aerith had been the first one to enter the room where the conservation tube was kept. As soon as she approached it, the creature lashed at her telepathically. Even being just half Cetra, Aerith was able not only to withstand the attack but to force the creature to submit. Aerith never told anyone what it was Jenova told her but she spent the next week and a half in a serious mood, barely speaking unless directly addressed. She also kept away from Sephiroth and anyone who had been injected with Jenova's cells.

Seeing her so somber worried him, but the fact that she was actively seeking physical closeness with him reassured him, somehow.

"I take it you don't know why Vincent went to see me today," Gast said.

Sephiroth shook his head. "No. I didn't even know he was there until I arrived to your office. I'd talked to him earlier that morning and he said he felt better than he did last night."

"I'm not sure how he was planning to handle this," Gast started after a short nod, "but I feel you have a right to know what's happening, given that you're directly involved." He took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "Galian Beast, one of the creatures Hojo spliced into Vincent, has been dormant for almost two years now—Chaos and the Director saw to that in order to make Vincent's life that little bit easier. However, its biological processes continued to run, just at a very slow pace. Now it has gone into mating season, something Chaos cannot stop, at least not on his own. This has caused a hormonal imbalance in Vincent's body that has, in turn, affected Chaos himself and will affect Vincent in the long run."

Sephiroth felt Aerith's hands tightening around his but he directed his question to his father.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Galian didn't try to _attack_ you earlier today, son. It was trying to claim you as its mate. I didn't want you to come close to it because I feared Chaos wouldn't be able to control it in time. We were lucky he did, but it's clear from his reaction to your presence that it took him a great deal of effort to control his own impulses once you were in the same room with him."

The silver-haired man's eyes widened and he was speechless for a while. He had no idea how to respond to that nor how to appropriately react or feel about the information. At the same time, Vincent's rejection of his offer for friendship made a lot more sense now. Unless…

"How long has Vincent known about this?"

"Since last night. He said Chaos told him about it while you two were having dinner."

The flash of gold across Vincent's eyes had been Chaos, then. The quick retreat to the restroom… The flush on the older man's face when he returned. Aerith's comment about how Vincent felt a bit warm…

He turned to his sister, confused. "You… knew?"

Aerith shook her head slowly. "Not really. I knew there was something wrong with him but not only because of his body temperature. I felt…" She paused and sighed. "I've always been able to feel Chaos within Vincent. He was, after all, born from the Lifestream and is, in his own way, a Planet Protector like mom and I. Last night I felt he was agitated, and I felt it had something to do with you. Both he and Vincent were concerned about you, but Chaos… I can't explain it well. But, from what dad tells us, I suppose I was feeling the turmoil caused by Galian's base instincts. Except…"

"Except what?" Sephiroth pressed.

Aerith looked sideways at her father before focusing her gaze on her brother's face. "I don't think Galian's hormones are the sole cause of Vincent's disquiet. I think Vincent _and_ Chaos have mixed feelings about you, Sephiroth. I also think that your sudden interest in Vincent has stirred up some sort of debate between them."

"Are you saying Vincent and/or Chaos may be attracted to Sephiroth beyond Galian's impulses?" Gast asked.

The young woman shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I haven't been around Vincent very often or for very long, but…" She sighed again, pouting slightly. "It's hard to describe the movements of a person's Lifestream. There's just no _words_. But I do know that he wants you to be safe and happy, to protect you."

"He said as much, but he was hesitant to talk to me even before Chaos told him about Galian's… impulses," Sephiroth said. "Even before he knew, he didn't want to get involved with me."

"That makes sense," Aerith said. "It must be uncomfortable for him to think back on how he couldn't stop Hojo and Lucrecia from experimenting on you."

"So I gathered from our talk last night," Sephiroth mused. Before the topic could stray in that direction, he returned his attention to his father. "Why does Galian want _me_ as its mate?"

"Well, that has something to do with what I said about more possible good news," Gast said. "I'm not done with the analyses, but from what I was able to see today on the tissue samples I took from Galian and Chaos, I can tell that there is a relation between them and Jenova. Moreover, Galian seems to be related to the Cetra."

Aerith sat up and blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't found anything specific yet, but some old books on Cetra culture make reference to large beasts they kept as guardians in certain areas. One of the descriptions vaguely resembles Galian's form, so I'm guessing that Hojo found remnants of one of these creatures somewhere close to where we discovered Jenova and, true to his nature, experimented with whatever tissue samples he managed to obtain. If my hypothesis is correct, his experimentation with Vincent wasn't as aimless as we originally thought. I think he was trying to come up with a failsafe of sorts in case the experiments borne by the Jenova Project became unmanageable."

"So… he implanted Galian unto Vincent to have someone—or some_thing_—strong enough to subdue an individual with Jenova in their system?" Sephiroth asked.

"It's possible. If Galian's ancestors were loyal to the Cetra and fought Jenova alongside them, then it makes sense that it would react to the Jenova cells in your body."

"Why does it want to _mate_ with me, though? Why not just kill me?"

"You said it just now, Sephiroth," Gast said. "Galian wanted to subdue you, to make you submit to it. I doubt Hojo found a complete specimen or even a 100% viable tissue sample. He must have tampered with whatever he found and it's very likely he ended up with something that was far more instinctual than logical. As long as it remains victorious over Jenova, the manner of said victory is unimportant."

"But Jenova went hysterical when Galian took control. She didn't shut up until Chaos reined Galian in."

"You heard Jenova again?" Gast asked, taken aback. When Sephiroth only nodded, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"There was no time at the lab or afterwards. Don't worry," he added quickly when he saw the concern in his father's eyes. "I couldn't even make out what she was saying, if she was saying anything at all. All I heard was angry and panicked screaming, and I felt a lot of fear and loathing when Chaos spoke to me. Like she resented him."

"She would," Aerith said. "Chaos is the one being in the entire Planet that could effectively take her down. She's alien matter, an infestation, and Chaos's job is to ensure the integrity of Gaia's soul. The only reason he never came forth when Jenova first arrived was because the damage she caused was focalised and the Cetra were, to an extent, able to contain it and her."

"If you knew all that about Chaos and Jenova, why didn't you say anything sooner?" Sephiroth asked.

Ifalna entered with a tray with a mug of coffee and three mugs of tea. She set them on the coffee table before taking her cup of tea and sitting next to Sephiroth.

"Because I asked her not to," she said.

"What? Why? If we'd known about this sooner, then Genesis—"

"Sephiroth, you must understand. There are no guarantees that your father or anyone in the Science Department will be able to come up with a way to harness Chaos's powers to neutralise Jenova completely. And even if they do, there's no way to know what her absence from your bodies will cause. It could kill you, dear."

Seeing the anger in Sephiroth's cat-like eyes, she set her mug back on the tray and cupped her son's face in her hands.

"Sephiroth, my son, I want nothing more than to see Genesis healthy again and to know that that aberration's voice will never again haunt your days and nights. But after everything Vincent has been through, I could not ask him to consign himself to a laboratory to be poked at and prodded again based on nothing but suppositions and baseless hypotheses. Especially when it could get you killed—everything he's ever wanted is for you to be _safe_, Sephiroth."

"They're not baseless—"

"Not anymore," Ifalna interrupted. "But they were four years ago, and they remained so until today."

"You also have to take Vincent's feelings into account," Aerith said. She was still holding Sephiroth's hand and she could feel it trembling. "It's likely he'll want to help, but…"

"But what?" Sephiroth asked, turning to look at his sister.

Aerith searched his eyes for a moment and seemed disappointed at what she found—or didn't find—in them. "You really don't understand, do you?"

"Understand _what_?" Sephiroth sounded frustrated.

"Your own feelings. The reason why you approached him, the reason you were so upset last night when Zack and I arrived and gave Vincent an opening to leave early. The reason why you're so troubled and concerned for him."

"I think what your sister is trying to say, son," Gast intervened, "is that you might be developing feelings for Vincent. Perhaps even _romantic_ feelings," he added.

He wanted to tell them all that it was ridiculous, that they were reading too much into things. He couldn't, though, because Genesis and Angeal had arrived to the same conclusion through different paths and by taking different facts into account. He didn't believe in love at first sight and knew this wasn't it, either. But he knew life was a cycle, that the Planet was alive and had a will of its own. He'd always known that it wasn't a coincidence that he ended up being the adoptive son and brother of the last two remaining Cetra. And it seemed now that it wasn't a coincidence that Vincent had ended up with the two creatures in the entire Planet that could hold the key to neutralising Jenova and thus healing one of his best friends.

It hit him then, why Aerith was so sad—because the hesitance and frustration were only a cover for the much more poignant truth: Aerith was _heartbroken_ for him and Vincent because the very thing that drew them together could be the one thing that kept them apart.

Vincent would allow Gast to investigate Galian and Chaos's connection to Jenova without much objection, no doubt about that. But as soon as he heard _who_ had ensured that connection he would attempt to sever all other ties with Sephiroth. There was no way the gunman could allow any sort of intimate relationship to develop between them, not when knowing that, at least on his part, the physical attraction was engineered by the man who killed him and made Sephiroth the target of his twisted experimentation. If he had been reluctant to befriend him _before_ finding out that Galian wanted to mate with him, it would be virtually impossible to convince him to put that aside and give Sephiroth a chance.

Sephiroth doubted Vincent would quit the company, not when the fate of the Turks could end up in Heidegger's hands, but he would probably arrange things so that he didn't have to face the General at all. In the short term that meant seriously altering the energy summit security plans. In the long run… Sephiroth didn't even want to think about it.

But if Chaos _was_ the key to eliminating Jenova and they could get rid of it forever… Wouldn't that mean that Galian would lose interest in Sephiroth? Wouldn't that open at least a tiny window of hope for them? Whether friends or lovers, Sephiroth knew he wanted Vincent to be a part of his life now. He couldn't say why but there was no use denying it.

"Stop thinking, brother," Aerith said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "One thing at a time, otherwise you'll drown like those flowers you were watering earlier."

"Aerith is right," Gast agreed. "I still need to finish analysing all the samples, and I need to speak to Vincent about what I've already found. Then I'll work on suppressing Galian's impulses so you two can talk things over without any unfortunate interruptions."

Sephiroth sighed heavily but nodded, pulling Ifalna to his side with his left arm while he held Aerith close with his right one.

"I don't suppose I can ask for that talk as an early birthday present, can I?"

Gast stood up and kissed the top of Sephiroth's head. "You can. I promise to do my best to make it happen."


	5. All (Turks) For One

**Chapter Summary:**

"Once a Turk, always a Turk is not just a cute motto—it's a pledge we live by."

When one spent their days and nights chasing after rebel factions, catching spies and turncoats, carrying out assassinations and generally being the shady shield for the most powerful corporation on the planet, while at the same time trying to avoid getting killed by loathsome executives in the aforementioned company, one tended to dance dangerously over the line between heartlessness and despair. Only someone in the same position would understand; only a fellow Turk would know what it felt like to crave the reassurance that your humanity had not disappeared along with that last bullet fired, that last detonation, that last lie filtered to the right people.

—

**Notes:**

My take on Turk psychology has been greatly influenced by LadyNightRunner. If you can, go read her stuff, it's awesome.

About this chapter... There's no way to cite Vincent/Tseng/Cissnei/Reno/Rude/Elena as a... pairing... so that's where Vincent Valentine/The Turks came from. The chapter was running horribly long so that's why there's no explicit sex scene. That, and I don't think I needed it. But I might tackle something of the sort for parallel stories, so keep an eye open for that if you're interested in that.

This is my favourite chapter so far. Just sayin'.

—

Vincent woke up to a dull ache deep within his bones. He always felt like a behemoth had run him over after allowing Galian or Chaos to take over his body but this time it was slightly worse. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that he'd had to transform more than once in a short amount of time, stressing his body beyond the limits it was used to. At least he wasn't conscious when Chaos released Galian from its metaphysical chains—Galian always hurt more than Chaos, given that his shape was so dissimilar to Vincent's human form.

He rolled to his side and didn't bother to hold back the pained moan the motion tore from his throat. He was alone, and—

_No, you're not, _Chaos said. _Vim and Vigour are out in the living room. Reno's been here since they brought you back from the labs, and Rude joined him about an hour ago. I expect Tseng to be here soon, too. _

Vim and Vigour was the collective nickname Chaos had for Reno and Rude; when they weren't together, Chaos referred to Reno as Blaze and Rude as Shade. He called Tseng Ninja Princeling on account of his being a close relative of Godo Kisaragi, the current ruler of Wutai, and the ninja bit was self-explanatory. Cissnei was Swan because the Costan name for the bird—_cisne—_closely resembled her name; and Elena was Baby Turk both because she was the latest addition to the team and the youngest of them all.

Chaos actually had nicknames for a lot of the people Vincent knew, and all of them were a bit silly. The gunman was glad no one but him knew about this.

_Why are they here? _Vincent asked.

_You don't remember, then?_

That was all the incentive Vincent needed to crawl out of the sleepy fog he hadn't bothered to shake off. He sat up on the edge of his bed and tried to remember the last part of his time at the labs earlier. The last thing he remembered was going into the examination room specially designed to contain Galian, then a rising feeling of panic that was quickly followed by deep sleep. After that there was nothing until he woke up a few minutes earlier.

_Well, at least we know Gast finally found the right combination of suppressants and tranquillisers to keep you unaware of what happens when he's prodding at Galian._

_Chaos…_

_Fine, _Chaos groused. _Sephiroth stopped by the labs unannounced while Gast was finishing up with Galian. I lost control for a few minutes but nothing tragic happened. But, well, Sephiroth got a look good at Galian and me, and I ended up threatening him if he didn't leave._

Vincent sighed and buried his face in his hands. _To borrow Reno's evocative vernacular: Fuck. My. Life. _

_C'mon, it's not _that_ bad. I'm sure I scared him enough for him to leave you be for a while. Isn't that what you wanted?_

_I don't even know anymore._

Thankfully, Chaos chose not to answer to that. Vincent stood and went to take a shower before changing into his training sweatpants and sweatshirt. He looked through his drawers for one of the surgical strength painkillers Gast had prescribed for him when he brought up the bone and joint pain caused by his transformations but couldn't find any. With an annoyed sigh, he held his hair in a hasty ponytail and plodded into the living room.

Rude was on the phone while Reno rummaged through the kitchen humming some weird techno tune that Vincent recognised from the radio. One of the few things he found he enjoyed after rejoining society was techno music. Chaos liked to poke fun at him because of it but, truth be told, he liked it, too.

Passing Rude by silently, Vincent went into the kitchen and took a bottle of water from the fridge. Reno didn't notice him until he closed the door. The redhead nearly jumped a mile, hitting his head against a cupboard. Vincent couldn't help but laugh, feeling some of his tension ease away.

_Laughter truly is the best medicine,_ Chaos intoned.

_Indeed. I still want some of those pills, though._

"_How_ do you _do_ that, Bossman?!" Reno demanded while rubbing the back of his head. There were tears in his eyes but he looked more offended than hurt.

"I suppose it's a mixture of whatever Hojo did to me plus your sloppy training. Rude didn't notice me passing him by in the living room, either."

"No, I didn't," Rude admitted.

There was a smirk on his face as he sat down at the bar, his ever-present sunglasses gone as they were wont to be during informal Turk meetings at Vincent's place. Too much time around explosives and blazing fires had done a number on Rude's eyes and the sunglasses were a necessity more than a fashion statement. However, since Vincent was still photosensitive to a degree, the lights in his apartment were mellower than anywhere else, allowing Rude to do without his shades.

"Tseng is on his way, Vale. Cissnei and Elena, too."

There was an old Turk tradition of giving affectionate pet names to one's siblings in arms. Vincent was not one to let traditions die, so when he took over as Head Turk, he gathered his five companions and chose nicknames for each and allowed them to choose what they wanted to call him. These names, however, were only to be used outside of work and only with fellow Turks.

Tseng would stick to variations of Vincent's name and surname, like Vin and Val, sometimes adding -_sama_ at the end in Wutain fashion. Vincent called him Corvus, the name of the crow constellation_,_ not only because of his hair colour but because of the deathly sort of elegance the Wutain radiated. Following Wutain tradition from his mother's side, he sometimes added different honorifics to both Tseng's name and nickname, as well as with the other four Turks.

Reno stuck to Vince and Bossman even after hours. Unimaginative as it was, Reno was Red to Vincent, although it wasn't a reference only to his hair and the twin tattoos on his face, but his fiery spirit.

Rude favoured Vale although he would often use Boss, instead. To Vincent he was Tower, not only because of his height but because of his penchant for protecting everyone in the team.

Cissnei was a fan of Vincent's since before he returned to Shinra; after all, he was and remained the Turks' most notable marksman ever. She'd heard Veld refer to the gunman as 'deadeye' once, and she chose that nickname for their new boss. It had taken Vincent a while to settle on a pet name for her, but eventually he came up with Grimalkin. She was a lot like a cuddly cat and had a tendency to do her best to soothe and comfort others through physical contact such as hugs and hand-holding; she'd cuddle with anyone who allowed her to, as well.

Finally, Elena had a bit of an obsession with eyes and she fell in love with the colour of Vincent's, so she called him Vermeil. Since Elena was peppy and upbeat, eager to please and better herself, he called her Bushy-tail'. (Also, she was a notorious morning person, quite unlike anyone else on the team.)

Realising all five Turks were seemingly going to end up at his apartment, Vincent's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise. "A full house? Am I dying and no one told me?"

"You're obviously not, if you're already up after a full day at the labs," Rude said. "By the way, here." He reached into his jacket's pocket and handed Vincent a small bottle of the pills the gunman had been looking for. "Figured you'd want these."

The gunman took the bottle and smiled appreciatively. "You're a good man, Tower."

He uncapped the bottle and took two pills, which he drank with water from the bottle he got earlier. He then tossed the pill bottle to Reno. The redhead took one pill, cut it in half with one of Vincent's kitchen knives, and swallowed the smaller bit dry. He returned the remaining half to the bottle and tossed it back to Vincent.

"Good thing I have somethin' in my stomach already, otherwise I'd be out like a light in half an hour, yo," he said.

"I'll have to take another two before going to bed again," Vincent said with a shrug. He looked at the items Reno had put together on the counter. "Corn chowder?"

"Yep," Reno said. "Thought you'd still be asleep and was going to be a surprise for when you woke up but, well."

"Don't let me stop you."

Reno saluted and started preparing the ingredients he'd need. No one would know it by looking at his scrawny figure, but Reno was actually a pretty good cook. In fact, all Turks had at least basic cooking skills under their belts, in addition to medical training and an array of other abilities. Whenever the populace heard about the Turks, they immediately thought of the shadier aspects of their job, but there were elements of finesse and even artistry to their profession. Vincent hadn't been back for long when he noticed that those less known aspects had been neglected during his absence. He intended to correct this slight on his current subordinates so they would not incur in it when they were authorised to hire more personnel.

He finished his bottle of water and helped Reno with the vegetables. Soon Rude joined them and they fell into a comfortable silence interspersed with requests to pass this or that ingredient or implement. They accidentally knocked things off the counter but someone's reflexes always kicked in time to keep the clumsy items from falling to the floor. Reno had both Vincent and Rude try things for salt and other condiments, sometimes from spoons and sometimes from his fingers. There was no hesitation from either men to lick or suck food from the lithe man's fingers, no sexual innuendos or comments made. Just quiet murmurs of 'more salt' or 'easy on the hot sauce, Red', followed by Reno's approving hums or mischievous giggles.

Tseng arrived about half an hour into the cooking session with a few of bottles of wine, two six-packs of dark ale, four six-packs of lager, iced tea from Leviathan's Scales, a couple of cartons of cigarettes, and assorted snacks—everything they'd need to hole themselves in Vincent's apartment for several hours until one or several of them passed out on the living room floor (except for the desserts—Elena was in charge of those). It was a rare occurrence but one Vincent had never discouraged them from. Turks needed time to bond, craved the easy companionship that they could only ever truly get with their own.

"Where's everyone?" Tseng called from the hallway.

"Kitchen, yo!"

"Be there in a minute," the Wutain replied.

After leaving his haul in the living room, he went into the kitchen and smiled at his companions.

"Need an extra pair of hands?"

Vincent turned around and pushed hair out of his face with his forearm. "Not sure there's enough space for that, Tseng-san."

"Oh, but you could start hollowing out the peasant breads, yo. They're in the bar over there."

"Peasant bread?" Rude asked.

"That's how chowders are usually eaten," Vincent informed him. "You take a peasant bread, cut the top and hollow it out, and then serve the chowder inside. Edible crockery."

"That's genius," Tseng said. He grabbed a serrated knife and a cutting board and set to work after Reno showed him how thick he wanted the walls of the bread to be.

"Yeah, but most restaurants are too cheap to spring for individual bread pieces, yo," Reno lamented. "So they serve it in bowls and then hand out cheap breadsticks to go with it."

"I think this will be the first time I'll eat proper corn chowder since before I first joined the Turks," Vincent commented.

"Really?" Reno's eyes opened so wide it was comical. "Shit, man, that's a long time. I hope I don't screw it up, yo."

"No way you can, Red," Vincent said, letting the nickname slip from his mouth easily but full of meaning.

Tseng and Rude snickered at the way Reno's pale skin blushed, matching his moniker perfectly. The redhead simply mumbled something that sounded like a thank-you and focused all of his attention on the food.

Soon all that was left to do was wait for the chowder to finish cooking and preparing a simple salad. Rude took care of the salad while Vincent decided to make a cheese dip with which to eat the crumbs. He sat next to Tseng as he worked and took the opportunity to ask his second in command the reason behind their impromptu get-together.

"You gave me a bit of a scare earlier, Vin," Tseng said. "I don't know how much you remember, if anything—"

"Nothing after Chaos took over before letting Galian out for the tests."

"Well, damn," Tseng said, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. "Want me to tell you now or should we wait until everyone's here?"

Vincent didn't say anything about Tseng's assumption that he would be explaining anything to them because the Wutain was right, he would. Instead he just nodded and said it'd be best if they waited.

Cissnei and Elena arrived almost an hour later. To make up for their tardiness, even though there hadn't been an official arrival time, they turned up loaded with pastries, candies, three cartons of ice cream, and assorted chocolates, including all of Vincent's favourites.

It had come as a shock for all of them to find that their new leader had a sweet tooth—he certainly didn't look the part of a sugar-addicted fiend—but they were all quick to indulge him just like they indulged everyone in their team/family.

Tseng favoured a particular brand of red wine that was only made in the vineyards south of Mideel, making it a great deal more expensive than any other brand readily available in Midgar. Reno once forgot to order the customary bimonthly crate, meaning Tseng ran out of wine for his birthday. This resulted in Reno and Rude having to hop on a helicopter on a last-minute errand to buy the stuff directly from Mideel. Needless to say, the mistake hadn't been repeated.

Rude was partial to dark beers, so whenever someone had time to during missions, they would get him a few bottles of any and all dark brews they could find. So far, his favourite was the Black Chocobo label from Gold Saucer. Unlike Tseng, he could do with any other brand in a pinch as long as it didn't come from Junon. Cissnei had once brought him a Sister Ray from there and the hungover it caused him had been epic.

Reno chain-smoked and got cranky when he couldn't find a cancer stick to shove into his mouth, so almost every single Turk carried at least a pack of cigarettes to placate him when his supply ran out. He wasn't particularly picky about brands, but if he could choose he would prefer to smoke Ifrit's Fire, a brand that was thankfully produced in Midgar.

Cissnei ate ice cream year round, even during sub-zero temperatures, which explained why she had come up with a special container so people could bring her ice cream from Costa del Sol whenever they were sent to the oceanside town. Like Reno and Rude, she didn't mind where the ice cream came from but she claimed that Costa's was the best. Her favourite flavour was Sea Salt.

Lastly, Elena shared Vincent's passion for sweets, allowing her to bond immediately with him even if their personalities could hardly be more different. Although they couldn't agree on which brand of soft caramel was best—Elena preferred Icicle Inn's Snow Drops while Vincent had always been fond of Gongaga's Tickled Pink—both of them had a particularly weak spot for any and all kinds of chocolate. Vincent's favourite treat were fruit-filled truffles—strawberry filling was the best if you wanted him to allow for extra downtime or anything particularly shady—; Elena was addicted to caramel-filled squares of dark chocolate.

No one but Rufus Shinra and the Head of the Accounting Department knew it, but the Turks had managed to dedicate a considerable amount of their budget to afford and satisfy their quirks. They got away with it by ensuring Rufus never ran out of the rare and expensive mint liqueur he favoured and providing the Chief Accountant with more Gold Saucer cigars than he could smoke on his own. Tseng suspected he used them to bribe other executives but neither he nor Vincent—or Veld, in his time—cared enough to look into it.

Speaking of the former Head Turk, Veld would do anything to get his hands on anything Loveless-related. He had several editions of the play, plus any and all bits of merchandise he or the other Turks could find. Rumour had it that Commander Rhapsodos once took a look at Veld's collection and tried to buy it from him. Veld's negative caused a tantrum that still made everyone who witnessed it cringe.

Once everyone arrived, they decided to eat in the living room, which meant Reno and Rude made quick trips to their apartments to bring their coffee tables. In the meantime, Tseng and Vincent moved the furniture around to allow them all enough room to sit on the floor without being cramped. Once the three coffee tables were arranged in a triangular disposition, Reno and Elena poured corn chowder on six peasant breads and took them to the living room along with the salad. Tseng drank his wine, Reno and Cissnei drank the lager, Rude drank the dark beer, and Elena and Vincent drank iced tea.

It was an unspoken rule of their off-the-clock gatherings not to talk shop. True to tradition, all six of them focused on topics not related to work, like where did Reno learn to make corn chowder and would he be willing to cook for Cissnei's birthday next year. The subject of birthdays quickly became the main topic, jumping from one member to the next until it was inevitably Vincent's turn.

One of the few things Vincent had been reluctant to share with the Turks was his birthdate. He rejoined their ranks on November and no one thought of asking about his birthdate until the following year. The Turks were secretive about their personal lives, and at least half of the team was uncertain about their date of birth on account of being orphans, so it wasn't exactly strange for them to be unconcerned with their new boss's birthdate. However, Reno thought it important to celebrate Vincent's first year with the group and the matter of his birthday came up then. True to his taciturn nature, the gunman refused to answer. Reno would've insisted but Tseng stopped him. The Wutain took the redhead aside to explain to him that Vincent might not be too keen on celebrating a birthday after everything Hojo and Lucrecia had put him through, so Reno dropped the subject—for the time being.

Reno started a campaign to obtain the information he wanted. It would have taken him less than an hour to hack into the system to gain access to Vincent's original Turks records but Turk code prevented him from doing so. Instead, he did everything he could to get into Vincent's good graces—from little bribes in the form of chocolate and other sweets, to perfectly executed missions and reports delivered timely, he tried it all. He even wore his uniform properly once but Vincent ordered him to stop fooling around and just go back to his disheveled self.

In the end, Reno got his information in an entirely unplanned manner.

Vincent was forced to go on a field mission with the redheaded Turk the summer after his first year back with the Turks. They were to capture a runaway specimen from one of Hojo's old labs near Cosmo Canyon and Vincent was the best tracker of them all; that, along with Reno's speed, was sure to bring the mission to a quick and clean success. However, the specimen proved to be far too savage to capture so Vincent decided to eliminate it in order to prevent it from running amok in a populated area. In order to do so, he had to transform into Galian.

The creature was quickly dealt with but Galian hadn't been out in so long that it refused to obey Vincent's commands to stand down. Chaos was forced to intervene and, although he quickly subdued the beast, the toll on Vincent's body was too great and the gunman collapsed.

To make matters worse, some poachers that had been trying to capture the escaped specimen caught sight of Galian and Chaos and tried to attack Vincent and Reno when the gunman returned to normal. Reno had no choice but to take the three men on his own, all the while keeping himself between them and Vincent to protect the older man. He emerged victorious without killing the poachers and then carried Vincent to Cosmo Canyon so he could rest.

When he woke up the following day, Vincent was rather distressed about the troubles he caused to his companion. Reno jokingly said that all would be forgiven if Vincent just told him what his birthdate was. Surprisingly, the gunman didn't hesitate to inform him that it was the 13th of October, but he did threaten Reno with bodily harm if the information ever left their department. Reno swore not to tell anyone outside the Turks and began planning a birthday party for Vincent. It had been a lot like their current reunion, the only difference being that Veld had left his cozy house in Costa del Sol to join them and Reno hadn't cooked.

"So, Bossman," Reno drawled as he cleared the tables, "what're your plans for your birthday this year?"

Vincent was helping Elena and Cissnei distribute the snacks and sweets around the tables when Reno asked and his first reaction was to snort.

"None whatsoever," he said. He settled on the floor again with a bag of blueberry filled truffles and a glass of non-alcoholic red wine from his pantry.

"Leavin' it all up to me again, yo?"

"Sit down and let me tell you kids what's going on with my life these days. _Then_ you'll understand why my birthday is the least of my concerns this year. It might break our rule about not talking about work, but I'm afraid it can't be helped."

He explained to them everything related to Galian's mating season and his attraction to Sephiroth. He told them of the dinner he shared with the General the night before and he did his best to convey his thoughts and feelings about the situation in a way that would make the most sense possible. He apologised about disappearing to Gast's office without telling them what was going on and he told them of the tests that were done on him and the other two. When he reached the part of the story where his memories ended, he turned to Tseng.

"Chaos tells me that you might better fill that gap, Tseng. Before you do, though, he wishes me to thank you. You remained calm and corrected Sephiroth when he referred to Galian and Chaos as a _thing_. He feels very grateful and proud, as do I."

Tseng shrugged. "There's no need to thank me but you're both welcome. It never crossed my mind that he'd never seen either of them before."

"Soldier clearance on my files is rather low compared to what you have access to," Vincent explained.

"I see. Well, as for what happened… I went to Gast's office to check up on you in case you needed help getting back to your apartment after the tests."

"I'm guessing you called ahead when you and possibly some of the others worried about my prolonged absence," Vincent said with a knowing smirk.

"Yes. I'm sorry if it was insolence on our part, but—"

"Corvus, don't. You know how I feel about that."

"Right. Well, I was at the office when Galian went out of control according to Gast. I rushed in and Sephiroth followed, even though Gast didn't want him to. It took Chaos some minutes to sort things out and, in that time, Galian lunged at Sephiroth. Chaos managed to regain control of your body then and forced Sephiroth out of the room. Gast and I got you dressed and I called Reno and Rude to help me get you here while Gast sorted out the injured orderlies. He said he'd prioritise your test results and that he would know something within forty-eight hours. He also asked me to make sure you didn't go back to work right away and said he'd square things with Rufus and Lazard regarding the summit given that you can't be near Sephiroth without Galian going ballistic."

"I suppose I'm on extended and indefinite medical leave."

"Yes. Also, Gast had Sephiroth move back in with his family so you wouldn't run into each other in the building by accident."

Vincent nodded as he munched on a truffle, strawberry-filled this time.

Having Sephiroth living with his family made things a bit easier but it wasn't by any means an ideal solution. Sephiroth's work was mostly confined to Shinra HQ as was Vincent's. Sure, he'd have to stay in his room for who knew how long but he'd have to come out eventually. He couldn't hide behind a medical leave for long, either, not without attracting Heidegger and Scarlet's attention.

"We'll take care of everything so that Gya-ha-ha and Kya-ha-ha can't touch us, Vermeil."

"Rufus is sure to have our backs, too, Vince."

"Professor Faremis will find a way to stabilise Galian's impulses, Vale. We just need to be patient."

"Even if he can't, we'll find a way around all of this, Deadeye."

"So stop looking so worried, Vin-sama. We've got you covered."

_As do I,_ Chaos chimed in. _Chin up, Host._

Vincent couldn't help but smile.

A few minutes passed in silence until Reno deemed it necessary to address the Adamantoise in the room.

"So, Galian's got the hots for Sephiroth? What's that all about, Vince?"

Rude and Cissnei burst out laughing while Tseng sighed and shook his head and Elena threw popcorn at the redhead.

"Why are you always so crass, Ren?"

Reno caught the popcorn in his mouth and swallowed before answering. "How'd you put it then, Bumblebee?"

"I _wouldn't_ put it any way."

"Oh, c'mon! You can't tell me you're not at least a little bit curious, yo."

"You're such a flibbertigibbet, Red," Rude said.

"A _what?_" Reno spluttered. "How old are ya? A hundred, yo?"

"At least," Vincent cut in. "That was _old_ before I joined the Turks."

"Hey!" Rude protested.

That got everyone laughing and gave Vincent time to figure out how to answer Reno's question.

_I suppose this is as good a time as any to let you know I think I have a pretty good idea of what's going on now, _Chaos said.

_And?_

Vincent went really quiet all of a sudden. When the others noticed, they looked at their boss and saw his eyes flicker from red to gold a few times. They knew from experience that this meant Vincent was having a conversation with Chaos so they stopped teasing each other and waited for him to speak.

Tseng was the first to break the silence when Vincent's eyes settled back to warm crimson.

"What did Chaos say, Vincent-sama?"

"Galian is reacting to Jenova. Chaos doesn't know how or why, but that's what's happening."

"Well, fuck," Reno said.

"That about sums it up," Cissnei added.

"And to think I was going to follow Chaos's advice and try to become friends with Sephiroth," Vincent mused with a scornful smile.

"It could still work, Vincent," Elena said.

Vincent shook his head slowly. "I don't know about that, Lena. I've a feeling things aren't as simple as placating Galian's instincts. They never are when Hojo and his sick mind are involved."

"It's too bad you can't even talk on the phone, yo. I mean, Sephiroth must think you really don't like 'im or somethin'."

"I tried to make it clear that's not the case, but…" He frowned. "Do you think he might think so anyway?"

"Perhaps," Rude said. "He's the only person at Shinra that counts that you haven't directly approached, for work or otherwise. Genesis, Kunsel, Cloud, and even Angeal have helped us."

"But he's sent him a birthday present the last couple of years," Elena said.

"Not really," Vincent corrected.

The blonde Turk blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? I wrapped that book on ancient swords two years ago and the incense kit last year."

"And I delivered them both times," Tseng added.

"But none of you checked the cards. I signed them for the entire department."

A five-voice chorus erupted to question why the gunman had done that.

"I…" He sighed heavily. "I was a little afraid he wouldn't appreciate receiving a present from me."

None of his colleagues could really fault him for that so everyone went quiet for a moment.

"You know you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but…" Tseng started cautiously.

"How do _you_ feel about Sephiroth, yo?"

"And we don't mean about his biological parents and what they did to both of you," Cissnei added.

"We know it's hard, but if you can forget about that, even for a moment, and focus just on Sephiroth…" Elena continued.

"You know we won't judge, Vale."

_Gaia, these children can read you like a book._

Ignoring Chaos's commentary, Vincent closed his eyes and mulled the question over. If he was honest with himself, he had never thought of Sephiroth as anything other than Lucrecia's hapless son, and he rarely thought of himself as anything other than a failed watchdog. He had failed the Turks and Shinra but, more importantly, he had failed Sephiroth. His entire existence while being locked up in the coffin had revolved around his feelings of inadequacy.

Some of his self-loathing had disappeared upon taking the job of Head Turk—being amongst the few people he could count as family gave his life a renewed sense of purpose. Knowing that Sephiroth was alive and had grown up to be as normal as the experiments performed on him allowed should have eased the rest of his burdens but it hadn't. The guilt was still there, the sense that he had failed the young man and he would never be able to make it up to him.

But if he did as the Turks asked him to, if he ignored the guilt and the sense of failure and just concentrated on Sephiroth and what the man awakened in him…

"He's… breathtaking. I saw him training by himself once. I felt like crying... It's not just that he's physically attractive, which he is—the man is gorgeous. But there's also this… _thing_ about him, a sort of captivating presence that has little to do with his appearance or his voice. He's a leader, yes, and he has a strong will, strong enough to have overcome his biological handicaps _and_ to keep Jenova at bay. That alone is impressive, but…"

He sighed and buried his face in his hands. He had never been any good at voicing his feelings appropriately and he hadn't gotten better at it over time. He felt that he was only making a fool of himself by trying.

Cissnei climbed over Reno to get to Vincent's side and rubbed the gunman's left arm soothingly. Elena was already next to Vincent and she held on to his right arm, resting her head on his shoulder. Reno and Rude dragged the tables away while Tseng sat on the couch behind Vincent and massaged his shoulders. Rude squeezed himself between Vincent and the couch, allowing enough room for Tseng to continue his massage while the taller man stroked Vincent's hair. Finally, Reno nestled himself between Vincent's legs, taking the gunman's arms and wrapping them around his waist while he rested his head against the other man's chest.

Vincent half-sighed and half-laughed, ruffling Reno's fiery red hair before kissing the lithe Turk's forehead. He then kissed Cissnei and Elena on the cheek before grabbing Rude and Tseng's hands and kissing their knuckles. He allowed himself a few minutes to relish the sense of security and comfort the five people around him provided while trying to get his feelings and thoughts in order.

"I want him to be safe," he said after a stretch. "I feel I owe him that much, to be sure he's safe and happy. There's a part of me that wishes nothing more than to actually _be_ at his side to make sure he never has to suffer again at anyone's hands, but…"

He looked at his hands on Reno's lap and flexed them a few times. There were traces of chocolate and fruit juice in them, the contrast between the rich colours of his favourite treats and his alabaster skin stark. Although invisible, he could always see all the blood his hands had spilled, whether directly, through the barrel of a gun, or at Galian and Chaos's hands. His fellow Turks would probably see the same in their own hands as well as in the hands of their partners. He had no delusions that Sephiroth's hands were clean, not when he was Shinra's prized General, but the quantity and quality of the blood on each of their hands was much too different.

Reno ran his bony fingers along Vincent's palms, tracing their folds and scars slowly. Vincent sighed softly at the soft and intimate contact, realising absently that only these five people surrounding him had ever touched him with such confidence and familiarity; not even his previous Turk partners had been this attached and devoted to each other. He idly wondered if he would ever allow anyone else such closeness.

"I think I know what you're thinking, Vince," Reno said, "and you shouldn't."

Rude rested his chin on Vincent's shoulder and sneaked a long arm around Vincent and Reno, pressing the redhead closer to Vincent and the gunman closer to him. When he spoke, Vincent could feel the other man's breath tickling his neck.

"If having your hands clean of blood is a prerequisite to allow yourself to know someone better, we would all be hermits, Vale."

Elena curled up next to Vincent, squeezing his arm and tangling her right leg with the gunman's. Reno giggled as he poked at the blonde's thigh and got a slap to the wrist from the gunman for his trouble. The redhead pouted while Elena stuck her tongue out at him before addressing Vincent.

"You said you were afraid Sephiroth wouldn't appreciate a present from you, but he wants to be friends with you. Last night he pretty much told you that he doesn't care about what happened between you and his biological parents. If he's willing to put all that aside and give you a chance, shouldn't you try to do the same?"

"And don't even start with all that nonsense about how you failed him and how you can't protect anyone," Cissnei said. She was leaning against Vincent in a position that nearly mirrored Elena's on the other side. "You protect us every single day from Heidegger and Scarlet, not to mention from all the dangers _outside_ Shinra."

Tseng caressed the back of Vincent's neck, applying pressure to the tense muscle beneath his fingertips.

"Sephiroth has a hard time understanding his own feelings," the Wutain said, "so he's always very careful about approaching other people. If he's decided that he wants to get to know you better it means he's weighed all the pros and cons and found that you are worth the effort." A small smile made its way to his lips and even into his voice. "If he'd asked any of us, we would've vouched for you ten times over."

Vincent took a deep breath and relaxed against Rude.

"I told him a part of me thinks and even wishes he could've been my son. And it's true, I spent a lot of time dwelling on what-ifs. What if I'd met Lucrecia sooner, what if she hadn't met my father and didn't feel so responsible for his death that she could barely stand my attentions. What if I had killed Hojo when I had the chance. What if I could have been there for Sephiroth while he was growing up."

"You're here now, Vale. You can be here for him now."

"He wants you to, yo."

"That just brings a brand new cluster of what-ifs, all far more daunting than the old ones."

"Like what?" Cissnei asked.

"What if he's reacting to whatever's happening to me. What if his is just a fleeting fancy and by the time he realises it I'm too invested."

_What if you grow to love him not as your hypothetical son but as your lover. And what if he doesn't feel the same. Can you live with a broken heart?_

"… I don't know."

"What's that?"

Vincent blinked and looked questioningly into Rude's eyes.

"You went quiet for a moment and then all you said was 'I don't know'."

"Oh. Sorry. I was answering to something Chaos said. I must've been distracted and answered out loud."

"What did he say, then?"

Vincent sighed, nuzzling Rude's neck and taking in the other man's scent, a mixture of cordite and ozone that wouldn't leave the other Turk's skin no matter how much he tried to get rid of it.

"He voiced my greatest fears. What if I end up falling in love with Sephiroth and he doesn't feel the same about me. _I don't know_ meant I don't know if I could stand it. Opening up to someone like that only to be rejected yet again… It could potentially end me. When Lucrecia turned me down the only reason I didn't crumble down was Sephiroth." A deep sigh interrupted his train of thought. "I would still have all of you, I know, but I think that, the part of me capable of falling in love with another would wither and die.

"There is, of course, a more crucial issue here. A part of me doesn't want to fall in love with him."

"Why's that?"

Vincent went very still and very quiet. Before anyone else could say anything, Tseng stood up and walked around the snug pile of bodies. He nudged Reno with his foot and the redhead scooted over to Elena's side, pulling her back to his chest and holding on to her as a child to a teddy bear. Cissnei moved to the couch after Rude did the same and sat on his lap. This left Vincent on the floor with his legs spread in a V and Tseng knelt in that space, his knees barely touching Vincent's thighs.

The Wutain looked into his leader's crimson eyes and knew what the problem was. He reached forward, wrapping his arms around Vincent's shoulders and pulling him into a loose embrace, allowing the older man to decide how much contact he wanted, how much comfort.

"You can't taint someone by just loving them. Not when all you've ever wanted is for that person to be happy. Not when you sacrificed _everything_ to try to protect him. When Cloud found you, you could've refused to come back to Midgar but you didn't. You came back to make sure he was safe, that he'd grown up to be a good man."

"But I _failed_ him," Vincent protested. He wrapped his arms around Tseng, his fingers clutching desperately at the Wutain's shirt as he buried his face in the other man's neck. "My infatuation with his mother blinded me to what she was trying to do with herself _and_ him. I hesitated and was unable to kill the bastard that wrecked my body and played god with his life before he could harm us. He says he doesn't care but how can he not? How can he even stand to be in the same _building_ as I, let alone want to be _friends_? And knowing all of that, here I am, entertaining the idea of falling in love with him and wondering if he could ever feel the same about me! What kind of monster have I become?"

"You are _not_ a monster, _itoshii_. Don't you _ever_ let any of us hear you say that again."

A four-voice chorus agreed with Tseng, Reno adding a few threats for good measure.

"As for the rest… I can't tell you what Sephiroth's thinking or feeling so I can't give you any guarantees. But if you _do_ end up falling in love with him, it will be all you. Hojo, Galian, Chaos… none of them will have anything to do with it. It will be Vincent Valentine's heart and nothing else. And whether or not Sephiroth falls in love with you, it will be all him and just him—not Jenova or anything else Hojo and Lucrecia did to him.

"You're a _good man_, Vincent. All five of us know just how lucky anyone would be to have you as their lover. If Sephiroth doesn't want that then it'll be his loss. And whatever happens between you two, we'll be here. You're our family, Vincent, and all we want is for you to be happy."

The other four gathered around Vincent and Tseng, wrapping their arms around them and kissing Vincent's face, neck, and arms.

"We'll be with you every step of the way, Vermeil."

"Stop thinking you're not good enough to be around him, yo."

"Give him a chance and let things progress naturally," Rude said.

"Don't give up without a fight," Cissnei added.

"I can be your personal messenger while we wait for Gast to figure out a way to control Galian's impulses," Tseng offered. "Just take it slow and don't let your past get in the way. Sephiroth obviously isn't."

Once again, Vincent couldn't hold back the smile that curved his lips. It didn't last long, though, as it was interrupted by a yawn. Looking at the clock on the wall, he realised it was past one in the morning.

"You're all staying here," he said.

"Vincent-sama—"

"I may be on medical leave, Corvus, but I'm still the boss of all of you. If you think you're leaving me alone after all that's going on, you better get a psych eval from Gast."

"Oooh, domineering Vincent is such a turn-on," Reno purred, nuzzling Vincent's neck.

"Don't tempt me, Red."

Reno grinned and planted a kiss on Vincent's jawline, catching some skin between his lips and running the tip of his tongue over it. The deep rumble this earned him encouraged him to give the same treatment to the dark-haired man's neck. Soon he could feel Vincent's hands on his hips, and he didn't need to open his eyes to know Elena and Cissnei were attacking Vincent from each side while Rude put his lips to good use on their boss's ears. He also felt Tseng getting up to make sure the door was locked before returning to the pile of bodies to try to get a piece of Vincent.

It wouldn't be the first time the six of them ended in a 'love-in', as Vincent once called their meetings-turned-orgies. The first time had been nearly two years ago during the celebration of Vincent's first year with the Turks. Reno and the other four were used to sleeping with each other to relieve tension or just to have fun, and all of them found their new leader attractive. They had refrained from making any advances before because they knew Vincent was still going through some biological adjustments after being in a coffin for thirty years and they didn't want to push him into anything he wasn't ready for. However, when Reno made his move and kissed Vincent full on the lips, he found himself caught between the couch and the gunman's deceptively strong body. From then on, everything was a blur until he woke up the next afternoon, naked and pressed between Vincent and Rude with Tseng, Cissnei, and Elena close by, all of them naked, too.

It was another Turks thing that no one outside the team would understand. But when one spent their days and nights chasing after rebel factions, catching spies and turncoats, carrying out assassinations and generally being the shady shield for the most powerful corporation on the planet, while at the same time trying to avoid getting killed by loathsome executives in the aforementioned company, one tended to dance dangerously over the line between heartlessness and despair. Only someone in the same position would understand; only a fellow Turk would know what it felt like to crave the reassurance that your humanity had not disappeared along with that last bullet fired, that last detonation, that last lie filtered to the right people.

In Vincent's case, he gave himself to the other Turks to remind himself that, in spite of the changes forced upon his body, in spite of Galian's rampaging hormones and the uncertainty that harbouring Chaos gave rise to, he was still basically human. That he could feel something other than pain, that he could give something other than misery.

He was dimly aware of the fact that Chaos disconnected from him, taking Galian's still sleeping presence with him. The gunman smiled around Elena's neck, thankful that the Weapon was allowing him this moment of privacy with his Turks. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, however, as he was soon too busy keeping track of whose hands were pulling his sweatshirt off and whose lips were attached to his ears, neck, mouth, and chest.

"Bedroom," he managed to breath in between someone's acidic kisses—Tseng's, more likely than not.

"Aye," came the five-voice chorus.

Noon came and Vincent woke up with Reno latched on to his right side, fiery-red locks tickling the gunman's nose. Elena was clinging to his left side, safely tucked under his arm. Vincent himself was half-laying on Rude, his head resting on the man's chest while his legs were over Tseng's waist. Cissnei was cuddled up to Tseng, one of her feet hooked around one of Vincent's legs. One of Rude's arms was draped over Vincent's chest, strong fingers curled up around his hip.

There was no way Vincent could get up without disturbing most, if not all, of his partners, so he decided to stay put a little longer. Someone else had different plans, however, as his home phone started ringing almost as soon as he closed his eyes again.

"'ma murder whoever's on the fucking line, yo."

Vincent chuckled and disentangled himself from the protesting bodies before throwing on his robe and padding over to his studio to take the call.

"Director Valentine speaking."

"_Good afternoon, Vincent. How are you feeling?"_

"Professor. I'm much better, thank you. Tseng told me about what happened in the exam room—my apologies."

"_Glad to hear so. And don't worry about that—the orderlies are fine and it wasn't your fault. I should've told Toru to call Sephiroth and tell him not to stop by the office but I didn't think it was necessary."_

Vincent sat on his swivel chair and closed his eyes. He really didn't want to talk about Sephiroth, not after the pleasant night he'd just had, but he really couldn't tell that to Gast. Instead, he slightly changed topics.

"All right, then. Tseng also said you expected to have results in forty-eight hours. Have you made any progress?"

"_I have, yes. It's the only reason I'm at the office on a Sunday, really."_

Vincent frowned and took a sideways glance at his wall calendar. It was, indeed, Sunday. That meant he could probably coax the others into staying with him for a few more hours. He really didn't feel like being alone at the time.

"I see. Given that it's a Sunday, can this wait until tomorrow?"

"_I'm afraid not, Vincent. I'm sure this is not what you wanted to hear, but Hojo and Jenova are involved in what's happening to you."_

Vincent sighed and brought a hand to his eyes.

"So Chaos wasn't far off, after all."

"_What do you mean?"_

"Last night Chaos told me that he was fairly certain that Galian's targeting Jenova, not Sephiroth. He doesn't know how or why, though."

"_I see. Well, I think I may provide at least a partial explanation to those two questions."_

"I'm sorry to ask this, but do you think you could come over to my apartment in, say, two hours to talk about this? I want the Turks to know."

"_Certainly. It will give me some time to do a bit more research into one of my hypotheses."_

"Thank you, Professor. See you soon."

He disconnected the call and set down the receiver gently. After sitting in near darkness for about five minutes, he stood up and went into the kitchen to make coffee and set the kettle to boil to make tea. Then he went into his bedroom to find all five of his subordinates asleep, cuddling together. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he stood against the doorframe and took a moment to take in the sight.

_You should take a picture._

_No need. Morning, by the way. I take it you listened to Gast's call?_

_Yep. He sounded excited, didn't he?_

_Yes. It's never a good sign, an excited scientist with our tissue samples._

_Nope._

With a soft sigh, Vincent walked towards his bed and shook Elena awake first.

"Morn'n, Vince," she said after a luxurious stretch.

"Noon, Bushy-tail. Wake everyone up and then come help me make lunch, okay?"

"'Kay."

Leaving the other four to the mercy of Elena's relentless energy, Vincent took a quick shower. He had a feeling it would be a long day.


	6. Hojo's Horror Show

**Chapter Summary:**

Refusing to let Gast use him or Sephiroth and his friends as guinea pigs, Vincent embarks on a journey to Nibelheim to look for answers in Hojo's hidden laboratory. The gruesome secrets he and his team find there are enough to make their blood boil, but they have little time to delve into the information they found. In their absence, a crisis has emerged inside Shinra, forcing them to rush back and leave their research behind for the time being.

—

Even if it was a Sunday and Vincent had told him the Turks would be with him, Gast was still mildly surprised when Rude opened the door to the Head Turk's apartment not wearing his trademark black uniform but cargo pants and a black t-shirt; he was also barefoot and not wearing his characteristic sunglasses. There was a glass of orange juice on his left hand and a piece of toast between his teeth, which he quickly grabbed with his right hand once he closed the door behind Gast.

"Good afternoon, Rude. How are your eyes today?"

Rude shrugged. "Not bad. Afternoon, by the way. Everyone's in the kitchen or living room."

"Late breakfast?"

"Sort of."

Knowing how tight-lipped the Turks were when they didn't want to explain themselves, particularly Rude, Gast decided not to pry. Instead, he followed Rude to the living room and wasn't as surprised anymore when he saw the other five Turks out of uniform and drinking and eating various things, from tea and coffee to toast and fruit. Vincent was the only one not eating and drinking plain water, very cold judging from the droplets of moisture clinging to the glass he was using.

"Good afternoon," Gast called. After everyone returned his greeting, he turned to Vincent. "All done with your breakfast, Vincent?"

Vincent smiled but it was Elena that answered.

"I made him waffles with fresh strawberries with a side of hash browns and bacon. He ate all of it with a cup of chai tea."

"He had a good dinner last night, too," Reno added.

"I was wondering how come you ate so much last night, Vincent." Cissnei said.

"Too many transformations in a very short time," Vincent said. "I burnt an excessive amount of calories and got hungrier than usual as a result. It'll take me another day or two to recover and then it's back to all of you patrolling my eating habits."

"It will be easier with you in lockdown, yo."

"Speaking of which…" Vincent said, looking at Gast.

The professor nodded. "Where should we do this?"

"Here's fine. Rude, Tseng, would you bring some chairs from the kitchen?"

A few minutes later, Vincent was sitting on the couch between Tseng and Cissnei; Reno, Rude, and Elena were sitting on chairs from the kitchen set in front of the couch, while Gast sat on an armchair at the head of the coffee table. He was holding a tablet and had his briefcase open on the coffee table; several folders, loose papers, and a book lay inside the case along with a notepad and several pens and pencils.

While Gast pulled up the files he needed on the tablet, Vincent reached for the book. It was an old, dog-eared copy on Cetran history apparently focused on flora and fauna. The gunman was about to set it down because the writing was too faded and in a very archaic Northern Continent dialect when he came across a drawing of a creature that looked a lot like Galian. It was far less humanoid than when Vincent transformed into the beast but the main features were the same: a purplish tone to the skin and some of the fur, large and dark horns, a greyish mane, and a cranial structure reminiscent of a behemoth's.

"That looks a lot like Galian," Cissnei said to Vincent's right.

Gast looked up sharply and his expression turned grim. "I was hoping to ease you into that."

"There's no need to tip-toe around the subject, Professor. You already told me that Hojo is involved so I'm prepared for pretty much anything you might've found."

Gast nodded and handed Vincent the tablet after setting up a playlist with two videos.

"I'll get to the book in a moment—you need to watch this first. The first video shows Galian's cells interacting with a sample of Jenova cells. The second one shows an interaction between Chaos and Jenova."

Vincent played the first video with all five Turks huddled around him to be able to watch.

In the first video, the Jenova sample stood by its own for a few seconds before Galian's cells were added to the petri dish. Almost immediately after, Galian began to quiver before zeroing in on Jenova. In a blur of movement, Galian's cells lunged towards the alien cells and began ripping into them. Through it all, Jenova didn't move or change in any way.

"Are they… _eating_ Jenova, yo?"

"Bluntly speaking, yes," Gast said. "Keep watching."

The video ended when Galian's cells finished absorbing—or eating—Jenova's. At first, it seemed as though Galian's cells had only expanded after consuming Jenova, but after a few seconds they began oxidising and eventually died.

"What the _fuck_, yo!"

"Calm down, Reno," Vincent said softly.

"I'll explain after you watch the next video," Gast said, not bothering with admonishing Reno for his language.

The second video started much like the first, with Jenova's cells sitting alone in the petri dish. A few seconds passed and, suddenly, the cells began to quiver and retreat towards the walls of the dish. Then Chaos's cells were inserted unto the dish from the right side, forcing Jenova to retreat to the opposite side. Chaos just sat there for some seconds and all the while Jenova's cells bunched up as far away from the other cells as they could.

"There," Tseng said, pointing to the side of the dish where Chaos's cells were.

"It's trying to catch Jenova unawares," Cissnei said.

The cluster of Chaos's cells had stealthily divided in two, one section staying put while the other slithered along the edge of the petri dish in two directions, effectively cornering Jenova and forcing it to move towards the other section of Chaos's sample. It took about twenty seconds, but eventually Chaos forced Jenova into the centre of the dish and completely surrounded it. Jenova's cells were moving rapidly in place and seemed to bubble up. Little by little, the greyish mass of Jenova cells turned into the nearly black shade of Chaos's cells. By the end of the video, Jenova had been completely wiped out by Chaos, leaving nothing behind.

Without a word, Vincent replayed both videos twice. When the second video ended again, he silently passed the tablet back to Gast and waited for the professor to explain what they had all just witnessed.

"Jenova doesn't seem to react to Galian, at least not to this version of it."

"Him," Vincent corrected.

"All right: him. As you can see, Jenova stood there and did nothing to try to escape or defend itself when Galian attacked it. Galian, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to assault Jenova. He succeeded in absorbing it and neutralising it as a threat, but he was unable to stop Jenova from killing him afterwards.

"That aside, this is just a cellular-level interaction. In such a situation, all Galian can do is absorb Jenova—eat it, like Reno said. On a larger scale there are more options."

"Killing it would be the most logical route," Elena said.

"But Vincent said Galian wants to _mate_," Rude added.

Gast gave the dark-haired man a questioning look that Vincent met evenly.

"They know everything I do about this matter. So, like I said, there's no need to tip-toe around the issue."

The professor looked at each Turk in turn and found nothing more than attention. Not wanting to delve into Turk psychology, he decided to go on.

"You're right, Elena. In a natural setting, if Galian were to meet Jenova face-to-face, he would try to kill it."

He reached for the book that Vincent had set back on the coffee table and handed it to the blonde Turk while he took his notepad, flipped to the page he wanted, and gave it to Vincent. The gunman read the passage twice, his frown deepening with each line he read.

"What is it?" Cissnei asked.

"It says Galian's race once numbered in the thousands. They lived mainly in the Northern Continent and were loyal to the Cetra. When Jenova crashed, the Galians didn't trust it but, since the Cetra did, they couldn't attack it. Once Jenova showed its true colours and began killing the Cetra, Galian's race was free to act on their instincts and helped weaken Jenova. They payed a high cost, though, given that apparently the entire race was wiped out."

"Wait. How come you have Galian with you, then?" Reno asked.

"That I'm not sure about," Gast said. "My best guess is that Hojo must have gone back to the area where we found Jenova and got his hands on a Galian specimen that he later grafted onto Vincent."

"That doesn't explain why Galian wants to mate with Sephiroth."

"Jenova wasn't complete when they found it but its very nature allows it to preserve itself under the roughest of circumstances. I doubt Galian's race had that ability, so whatever Hojo found must have been in an advanced state of decay, even with the aid of permafrost. In order to reconstruct it and bring it to a level where it could be viable to graft it onto me he must have tampered with it, possibly adding behemoth DNA. Behemoths have distinct mating seasons, and mating and killing are all about control and dominance. It's not strange, then, that Galian's impulse to kill Jenova got twisted into an instinct to mate with it."

Everyone looked at Vincent like he'd just grown a second head. With a faint blush, he shrugged and explained himself.

"My father had a degree in Genetics, so he kept a lot of books and medical journals on the subject. I was often home alone so I read them all. Also, Chaos has been running some analyses of his own since yesterday so he came to more or less the same conclusions as I."

"And I," Gast admitted. "Unfortunately, there's no way to be certain about this because Hojo didn't think to leave any specific records of what he did to you."

"I don't really care about that. Can Galian's impulses be controlled?"

"I don't know," Gast admitted. "Frankly, I don't think so. You say you don't care about how Hojo did it but I think it's important. Otherwise I'll be forced to experiment until I find the right combination of hormone replacement therapy to eliminate Galian's impulses."

"Can't you just, I dunno, cut 'im outta Vincent, yo?"

"Again, I don't think so. The reason we never tried is that we don't know what removing Galian or Chaos will do to Vincent. It could kill him or leave him severely incapacitated, at the least."

_We can wait it out,_ Chaos said. _You can work from here and Sephiroth can stay at his parents' until it passes. After the summit, we can go back to Nibelheim and see if Cloud and Kunsel missed anything. Some of Hojo's notes mentioned a cellar that connected to the sewer system that came all the way down from the reactor up in Mount Nibel._

"What's Chaos saying?" Tseng asked.

"He says we can work around it until the summit passes. After that, he says we should go back to Nibelheim and check an old cellar that connects to the reactor through the sewer system. Hojo mentioned it in some of his private journals, so he might have stashed notes there to keep the company from finding them."

"Sounds like a good idea, given what you saw in the second video."

"What _was_ that?" Elena asked.

"That was Chaos neutralising a threat to the Planet," Gast explained. "At least that's what Ifalna and Aerith concluded."

Vincent drew in a sharp breath and went very still.

_Easy. It was to be expected._

"Sephiroth knows, doesn't he?" Vincent asked tersely.

"Yes," Gast admitted. "I had to tell him. I know you probably didn't want him to know, but—"

"Like Chaos just told me, I should've expected it."

The Turks all looked like they wanted nothing more than to comfort Vincent—and hurt the professor, some of them—, but they knew he wouldn't want them to do so with Gast present. As difficult as it was for them, they remained in their seats and waited for him or Gast to resume the conversation.

"What else did they have to say about it?" Vincent asked after a long pause.

"As I'm sure you all know, Chaos is part of a binary Weapon system designed by the Planet to preserve the constant circulation of life. Basically, when the Planet itself is nearing its final stages, it will call forth Chaos so that he may send all living things back to the Lifestream. Omega, the other Weapon, would then gather the entirety of the Planet's Lifestream—that is, its soul—and take off into the cosmos to find a new world in which to restart the cycle of life. As part of his duties, Chaos is also in charge of ensuring the purity of the Planet's soul, meaning he has the necessary strength and abilities to destroy any alien matter within the Lifestream or the surface of the Planet."

"That's why it was able to eliminate those Jenova cells completely without dying, unlike Galian," Tseng said.

"Yes. Again, this is all on a cellular level so there's no way to know how the interaction would play out with complex organisms."

Vincent frowned and directed an unfriendly glare to the professor.

"That's why you sounded so excited earlier on the phone. You've no idea what to do about Galian but you're itching to get your hands on Chaos and experiment with him to cure Sephiroth and the other two."

Gast looked taken aback. He had anticipated that Vincent wouldn't agree right away to further experimentation but he hadn't expected him to be so hostile towards the idea, either.

"Vincent, I assure you—"

"How are you even going to do that?" Vincent interrupted. "You know damn well I'm not going to let you use any of them as guinea pigs."

"We still have Jenova's main body. We can use that as a base, replicate Hojo and Hollander's experiments on laboratory-grown tissue to prove our theories."

"That's not going to work," Vincent insisted. "Jenova's very nature precludes the possibility of duplicating an experiment's results exactly. That's why Hojo's plan to breed an entire army of Sephiroths failed."

"We have to try! Genesis continues to deteriorate and Sephiroth heard Jenova's voice again yesterday at the labs."

"It must have been reacting to Galian and Chaos. Sephiroth didn't succumb to its call so don't try to use that to sway me, Professor."

"What about Genesis, then? If Chaos can purge Jenova from his body then his healing rate should go back to normal and he'd feel better."

"_Should_? And what if it kills him? Are you willing to shoulder that?"

"Are you willing to shoulder his death if we do nothing and his body continues to decay?"

"Do _not_ try to blackmail me," Vincent said, some of Chaos's otherworldly rumble mingling with his voice. "You've always had my full cooperation, Professor, but only because you've always had the data to prove to me that your experiments wouldn't harm anyone. You don't have that right now. All you've shown me is that Galian can get rid of Jenova at the cost of his life and that Chaos can eliminate pure Jenova cells—you don't know what will happen to hybrid tissue. I'm not willing to let you poke at Galian anymore to send him into some stupid suicide mission and I'm not letting you play around with Chaos when you have no idea what removing Jenova entirely out of those three men will do to them in the short and long term."

"Even if they're fully aware of the risks and are willing to try?"

Vincent recoiled as if he'd been struck, finding himself at a temporary loss of words. Picking up on this, Tseng spoke up.

"Did Sephiroth volunteer?"

"Not exactly," Gast said. "But I know him, and I know he'll be willing to try anything that might lead to a cure for Genesis and himself. I'm sure Angeal and Genesis will feel the same way."

"You realise what you're asking of me?" Vincent managed to say.

"Ifalna drew us a pretty clear picture," Gast answered. "When Sephiroth realised she and Aerith have known about Chaos's power over Jenova since you came back he was quite upset at them for not saying anything. Ifalna made him understand that there's never been a guarantee that we'll able to find a way to exploit Chaos's abilities to purge Jenova from his body. Also, as you have pointed out, there's no way to know what its absence will do to anyone who carries its cells."

He paused and took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose before continuing.

"She also anticipated your reaction. She was certain you'd hesitate to cooperate because you literally sacrificed your life in order to try to save Sephiroth from Hojo and Lucrecia, so why would you agree to something that can potentially kill him now?"

"What did Sephiroth say to all that?" Cissnei asked.

Gast put his glasses back on and smiled sadly as he answered.

"Not a lot, really. He was slightly more preoccupied with trying to make sense of his feelings overall."

Vincent looked up sharply at the professor.

"Feelings? You mean his wish to become friends with me?"

"Aerith and Ifalna seem to think he wants more than that but the truth is he's not sure himself. He wants an opportunity to talk things over with you but, in order for that to happen, we have to figure out a way to suppress Galian's impulses."

The Head Turk brought a hand to his forehead and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He felt the familiar warmth that signalled Galian's excitement course through his entire body and he had to fight back the wave of nausea that came with it.

Noticing Vincent's distress, Elena rushed to the kitchen for a bottle of cool water. Tseng made room for Gast to approach Vincent and the professor checked his temperature and heart rate manually.

"Talk to me," Gast said.

Vincent shook his head quickly and regretted it almost immediately when he felt his breakfast trying to come out the same way it had gone in. He fought back the impulse to vomit and shakily accepted the water bottle Elena offered him, instantly grateful for the cool sensation against his overheated skin. Gently pushing Gast away, Vincent drank almost the entire bottle in a single go, sighing deeply and breathing heavily when he was finished.

"Can you talk now?" Gast asked.

After a couple of false starts, Vincent managed to answer.

"Galian. He got… nggh… excited when you mentioned… your son. Chaos is trying to get him back to sleep."

"So now we can't even mention him or Galian goes berserk, yo?"

"It appears… so," Vincent panted.

"Forget Chaos's plan to wait," Rude said. "We have to go to Nibelheim right away."

"I'll go," Reno said. "Like I told Tseng yesterday, I'm not involved with the summit planning and I'm not on Avalanche duty."

Vincent nodded slowly. He thought about it for a moment before slipping into business mode.

"We'll leave tomorrow morning, then. Tseng, where is Cloud stationed right now?"

"Wait," Gast said. "You're not planning to go to Nibelheim, are you, Vincent?"

"Of course I am. There are no maps or blueprints of the sewer system and Hojo was quite creative when it came to hiding places for his notes and experiments. I don't doubt Reno and Cloud will find the cellar on their own but it will go by much faster if I'm there to help."

"But your condition—"

"Only presents itself when I'm close to your son or when he's mentioned. There's no real way to avoid the latter but the former is easily remedied if I'm in an entirely different continent. As long as there's cold water nearby I should be fine."

"And if you're not? What if you collapse or lose control of Galian?"

"Cloud and I can handle him," Reno said.

"You can give Reno the tranquillisers you used on Galian yesterday, too," Vincent added.

Gast looked at the redhead and saw nothing but fierce determination in his green eyes. When he turned to look at Vincent, he found the same. Knowing arguing was futile, he sighed and slumped on the armchair.

"Fine. Even if you're still on medical leave I know there's nothing I can do to stop you."

Tseng had disappeared briefly into Vincent's studio and returned with the gunman's tablet. After logging in to his account, he located the necessary information.

"Cloud is in Rocket Town on a low level mission. Do you want me to send a message to Lazard asking for Cloud's help?"

"Yes. Tell him Reno can fly a replacement for Cloud early tomorrow."

"On it."

"What's Rufus's schedule for the next three or four days?"

"He'll be in town the whole week," Tseng said as he typed.

"Good. Then you can man the office and Cissnei can stay on top of Avalanche with Elena and Kunsel's help. Rude, I'm afraid you'll be left with most of the field work."

"No problem, Boss."

"We will be."

Vincent exhaled slowly and looked towards Gast.

"Is there anything else, Professor?"

"Not for now, no. I'll call it a day and leave the rest of the tests for tomorrow. Call me if you find anything."

"Certainly. Thanks for stopping by and have a good day."

"No problem. You, too."

Rude walked Gast to the door and locked up as soon as the scientist was out in the hall. He then rushed back to the living room and found Vincent kneeling on the floor, breathing heavily and bracing himself on the coffee table. Tseng was on his right side, supporting some of the gunman's weight while rubbing wide circles on his back. Rude could hear their second-in-command whispering something in Wutain on Vincent's ear, apparently a calming mantra or maybe even a lullaby.

Reno was perched on the back of the couch, typing away at Vincent's tablet; Rude was fairly sure he was making arrangements so that a helicopter would be ready for them first thing the next morning. Elena and Cissnei were on the chairs in front of the coffee table, looking on worriedly as Vincent struggled to get his breathing back to normal.

"He was putting on an act for Gast," Cissnei said softly. "As soon as he was gone…"

"Chaos said something to him but we don't know what," Elena said.

"Prob'ly offered to take over, yo," Reno said as he tossed the tablet on the couch. "Everything's ready for tomorrow."

"Good," Vincent managed.

"Shh, don't talk, _itoshii. _You need to rest up if you're going to make that trip tomorrow."

"I should go with them," Rude said.

Vincent shook his head but wasn't able to say anything. Tseng looked up at Rude and also shook his head.

"Three Turks away from headquarters on a possible wild goose chase will attract too much attention. Not even Gast would be able to cover for us. If it's just Reno then I'll be able to better answer to anyone who thinks to pry. We'll just tell everyone that Vincent is still on medical leave and can't be disturbed; that ought to buy us time."

Rude nodded and sat on the armchair Gast had been using before. He waited in silence along with everyone else for a few minutes until Vincent's breathing evened out and he was able to sit on his haunches. He was sweating and his pale skin was flushed but his eyes were clear. Cissnei passed him a bottle of water and he drank all of it more calmly than the previous time. He leaned against Tseng once he was done, apparently too tired to stay upright. The Wutain wrapped an arm around the gunman's waist and pulled him close, tucking Vincent's head under his chin.

"I think we need to get you back to bed, _itoshii_."

"I don't think I can stand."

Rude took that as his queue and gently picked Vincent up, careful not to jostle him up. He then took him to his bedroom and tucked him under the covers. The other four Turks followed and stood by the doorway while Rude tended to Vincent.

"Stop looking at me like I'm dying," Vincent said, already sounding a lot better. "It just takes a lot out of Chaos to keep Galian under control and even then the hot flashes hit me almost full-on. I'll be fine as soon as Galian falls asleep again."

"All right. We'll be here all day so if you need something, Vincent-sama, just give us a yell."

"We'll spend the night again, too," Elena said.

"I need one of you to stay with me," Vincent said.

"I'll do it," Rude said. "My eyes are killing me."

Vincent nodded and lifted the covers so Rude could join him. The rest left and closed the door.

Vincent cuddled up to Rude and the taller man tucked the gunman's head under his chin much like Tseng had done before in the living room.

"Rest up, Boss. We've got you."

"I know. Thank you."

Vincent hadn't returned to Nibelheim since Cloud found him at Shinra Manor and he wasn't particularly thrilled to be back. The place brought back a myriad of memories, many of which he didn't want to rehash. Everywhere he turned on their way through the reconstructed town was a scene from his first stint as a Turk. The well under which he stood while Lucrecia and Hojo embraced one another passionately under the town's entry sign; the Strife household where Cloud's mother, now deceased, sheltered him from a storm with a warm bowl of homemade soup; the inn to which he retired after Lucrecia turned him down.

Save the well, all of the buildings had been either partially or entirely rebuilt after the fire that took the life of Cloud's mother, but Vincent's memories didn't care. They continued to attack him, demanding his attention. That was why he was reluctant to check in at the inn but Reno was under strict orders from Tseng that they should stop, eat, and rest for a couple of hours before tackling the sewer system. Since Cloud sold his house after the fire, the inn was their only option. Cloud wasn't particularly happy about it, either, but the redheaded Turk was no pushover so they followed his lead on the matter.

It was nearly three in the afternoon when the two Turks and the Soldier Second Class reached the hidden passageway in the manor's basement that led to the sewer system connecting the town to the mako reactor up in Mt. Nibel. Even though Cloud and Kunsel had searched the basement up and down twice, they never came across the door. Vincent himself would had missed it now if Chaos hadn't directed him to it.

_I took over and wandered around the place once or twice in the first year or so_, he explained. _I managed to open the door but I didn't go very far into the tunnel. I was anchored to this place, somehow. I was planning to try again but either Hojo or one of his aides came back and locked the door from the outside._

Vincent was certain Hojo had found a way to bind him to the basement in case he woke up with enough strength to try to escape. It was likely he noticed that Chaos had been wandering about so he then decided to go for something much more archaic, like a bolt and key. His mind insisted on coming up with an explanation to the madman's actions but he refused to dwell on it. He had a feeling he would find the answer to that and many other questions plaguing his mind once they found the cellar. The more he thought about it, the heavier the possibilities weighed on his mind.

They'd been walking along the tunnel for about ten minutes when they arrived to a two-way fork in the road.

"I suppose you don't want us to split up, Bossman."

"Preferably not."

_Go left. I can feel something in that direction._

"Chaos thinks we should go left."

"A'ight, yo."

Every time they came to an intersection, Chaos would feel out the options and tell them which path to take. In case they had to go back, Cloud made a map on his PDA as they went along. They eventually came to what appeared to be a dead end but further inspection showed that the roof had collapsed some time ago, blocking the way. The men were forced to take out their collapsable shovels and dig a way through the obstruction. It took them nearly an hour but their efforts were rewarded when they found a rusted door right behind the rubble.

"Something tells me the roof didn't collapse accidentally," Cloud pointed out.

"Crafty bastard," Reno mumbled.

Without a word, Vincent tested the door. The hinges squeaked in protest when he applied minimal pressure to the centre of the door, giving him enough confidence to ram the door with his left shoulder twice. This sent the door tumbling inwards, revealing a large underground library encircling a laboratory of sorts. Stepping into the room, Vincent felt around for a switch on the walls and found a button that brought the lights to life with a crackling buzz.

"Let me rephrase that," Reno snarled. "_Gruesome _son of a _bitch_."

There were two examination tables in the centre of the room, both stained with blood and who knew what else. Several carts, trays, and cabinets filled with surgical equipment and drugs were set around the tables; some of the cabinets were open or missing, and there was a lot of broken glass on the floor. Three conservation tanks were mounted on the far wall; one of them had been broken from the inside, the second was empty and apparently undamaged, while the last one was filled with mako syphoned directly from the reactor. Inside this last tank floated the remains of a small behemoth-like creature; a closer look showed that it was a mixture of at least three different samples, sown and stapled together in an attempt to hold its shape.

Vincent approached the tank and pressed his palm against it. The creature inside twitched and floated towards the glass, pressing itself against the shape of the gunman's hand. It scratched feebly at the glass before resting its forehead against it in apparent defeat.

"Is that…?" Reno couldn't bring himself to voice the question.

"Galian." Gold flashed across Vincent's eyes as Chaos explained it to him. "Rather, whatever's left of the Galian specimen Hojo found and as many as three different breeds of behemoth."

"How is it still alive?" Cloud asked. "I mean, even with the mako…"

"I don't know, but he's in agony," Vincent said softly. "And we'll have to take him back with us."

Reno and Cloud exchanged an uneasy glance before silently deciding it would be best if they got started on the many books, notebooks, and files on the shelves. Vincent remained by the tank a while longer, looking at the creature inside with pity and some degree of compassion.

_Can Galian sense it?_

_No. He's so deeply asleep he won't bother us. Besides, there's not enough of Galian left in that sample, really. But it might help Gast find out what's driving his impulses._

_Over thirty years, Chaos. This poor creature has been sitting here for over thirty years, alone, afraid, in pain. _He paused before adding, _A lot like us._

_Which is why we'll take it back with us and make sure its suffering isn't in vain. But this is only part of what we came for, so put yourself together and help Blaze and Chocobuckle sort through Professor Deranged's squiggles._

A small smile tugged at Vincent's mouth but he sighed sadly as he stepped away from the tank. Ignoring the examination tables and all the equipment around them, he went to the largest section of bookcases. There were a lot of books on the Cetra that he decided not to bother with but he did take a few about behemoth behaviour in case Gast needed the reference. Other than that, nothing in that section seemed to have been written by Hojo so he moved along to the next area.

He was scanning through a book on gene splicing when he heard Cloud curse.

"What is it?" he asked, not daring to move from his spot.

"That sick motherfucker had a depraved sense of humour."

Each step taking more determination than the last, Vincent forced himself to approach the blond man. When he was a couple of feet away, he saw that Cloud was holding a binder and looking at it with contempt.

The blond handed the binder to Vincent. "I only looked at the first page—it has a copy of your resumé and a picture of you. I… I don't think I have a right to read the rest."

The binder was labelled 'Fail-Safe'. Vincent caught on to the meaning behind Cloud's comment about Hojo's sense of humour when he remembered that the young Soldier told him he'd had to find clues all over the manor to put together the combination to the safe on the second floor. Other than a monster that was likely part of Hojo's side projects, the safe contained the key to the room Vincent was locked in.

"_Fail-Safe_," Vincent read out loud. "So that's what he called me." He took the binder in less than steady hands and nodded slowly. "Thank you, Cloud. Where did you find it?"

The blond Soldier pointed to a small file cabinet wedged between two bookshelves. "There's nothing else inside, though."

The gunman checked, all the same, but Cloud was right. He looked at the bookshelves on either side of the cabinet and noticed they all contained notebooks and files written by Hojo and his assistants. He asked the blond to gather everything and put it in one of the cabinet's drawers to make it easier to transport them. He then went to Reno, who looked disgusted by the book he held.

"What did you find, Reno?"

"Some sort of encyclopaedia, Bossman. Except it's a compilation of Greasy McFugly's early experiments."

He turned the book towards Vincent; it was open to an entry about the 'successful' offspring of a Razor Weed and a Touch Me. The resulting hybrid was a toad with a mane of grassy spikes on its head that, according to the caption, could be thrown at the enemy to inflict an array of status ailments.

"Does it say anywhere what happened to those experiments?"

"No, but I know Soldier was ordered to dispose of a lot of them when they raided the Science Department's hidden labs. I've no idea if they got 'em all, though."

"Bring the book along, then. Lazard must have some database compiled that can be cross-referenced to this book."

"Got it."

After closing the book and tossing it in a small pile he'd been putting together, Reno finally noticed the binder under Vincent's arm.

"What's that, yo?"

"Well, the good Professor was kind enough to put together a file on yours truly. I haven't read it yet so I don't know what's in it, but I have a feeling it'll be more than I want to know."

Reno winced. "Oh. Are we still going through the rest of this stuff?"

"Yes. I don't fancy a return trip."

"Hear, hear."

It took them about an hour to pack everything they deemed important enough to take back to Midgar, including the specimen on the tank. Additionally, Vincent had Cloud take pictures of the books they were leaving behind in case Gast or anyone else back at headquarters had use or interest in them. They were about to decide who would carry what back to town when a shiver ran all through Cloud's body, making him knock over an empty vial off a table.

"What's wrong, yo?"

Rubbing his upper arms, Cloud shook his head slowly. "I just felt a chill. Is there a draft?"

Standing behind Cloud, Vincent nodded. "Yes. There must be another door somewhere."

Following the draft led them to an empty bookcase. Reno and Cloud pulled it away from the wall and, sure enough, there was another door behind. Unlike the door leading to the laboratory, this one was made of wood and didn't seem rotten enough to push or kick open. It had three sets of locks and a large bar across the middle.

"Shiva's Veil, don't tell me we have to hunt for clues to find a safe to get a key to open the damned door!" Cloud said.

Reno giggled and brought out a lock picking kit from his jacket. "Calm down, blondie. I got you covered."

It took Reno less than five minutes to pick the lock. Pulling the door open turned out to be more difficult; whatever material Hojo had chosen for the door was heavy and had swollen with damp.

"Pity those company issued haversacks don't come with axes or hatchets," Reno grunted as he pushed the door with all his strength.

"No, but…"

Vincent stopped pushing and brought out his shovel. He told the others to move aside and began hitting the bottom of the door with the shovel. The concrete gave way, old as it was, and Vincent tried the same with the sides of the door. As it turned out, the laboratory's walls were nothing but tightly packed dirt and, overtime, it had weakened significantly. With a triumphant smile, Vincent told Reno and Cloud to get their shovels and start chipping away at the door's frame. Within minutes they'd knocked down enough dirt that pushing the door was a lot easier.

The door led into a corridor so narrow that the three men had to walk in single file along it. There were no lights along the corridor so Vincent, being the tallest of the three, took the rear and used his flashlight to light the way in front of Cloud. Reno had his hand on Cloud's shoulder and Vincent had his free hand on Reno's shoulder to keep from stumbling into each other; Cloud was holding his sword with one hand and using the other to feel along the wall for any possible detours.

A few feet in, Cloud stopped abruptly, causing Reno to crash into his back with a curse while Vincent managed to stop in time to avoid running into the redhead.

"What the hell, yo? Why'd you stop like that?"

Unable to speak, Cloud hastily walked into the room in front of him and fumbled with a light switch to his left. When he managed to flip it, the room lit up with a rumbling sound that was accompanied by the buzzing of electrical equipment. Reno and Vincent stepped into the room and were at a loss for words, too.

It was much smaller than the laboratory they came from and, unlike it, the walls and floor were lined with metal plates. There was a main console in the centre with several monitors and a keyboard. The monitors, however, were all smashed in and were smeared with dry blood, like the keyboard and the swivel chair that sat in front of the panel. A tattered lab coat rested on the back of a chair, clearly forgotten by its owner.

All around the room were shelves filled with video and audiotapes, each neatly labelled and apparently in good condition, except for those that had been knocked to the floor and trampled over. Tracks of dried blood and something that lost its colour long ago passed over the tapes and disappeared under one of the panels.

"I thought I saw someone," Cloud whispered, "but I think it was just the lab coat casting weird shadows."

"Those tracks… there's another room somewhere," Reno said, also in a whisper.

Without a word, Vincent followed the tracks and stood in front of the panel under which they disappeared.

_At least whatever it was came _out_ and didn't go in there,_ Chaos pointed out.

_Look at the tracks,_ Vincent said.

There was a pause as Vincent stared at the tracks and Chaos took them in. The Weapon's outraged cry made Vincent stumble back a step.

"What is it, yo?"

"Take a closer look at the tracks."

Reno and Cloud exchanged another uneasy look and knelt to do as Vincent said. It took them longer than Chaos, but eventually they stood up, looking disgusted and shocked.

"Please tell me that it was a Goblin or a chimp or something," Cloud said.

"McFugly didn't believe in pre-human experimentation, yo."

Vincent felt around the wall until he found a groove. He pulled on it and a small panel opened up with controls to the door. The gunman wasn't too surprised to find that they worked and the metal plate disappeared into the floor. The pungent scent that wafted into the room hit Vincent full on, making him gag and cough as he took a few steps back, covering his mouth and nose with his hand. Neither of the other men in the room needed to ask what was wrong this time as the odour soon made its way towards them. Luckily, the way the cellar and sewers were built allowed for most of the noxious air to be sucked out in a few seconds, leaving behind just a trace that was easier to ignore. All the same, Vincent and Reno fished out mint gel from their pockets and applied it under their nostrils; Reno then passed his to Cloud.

Once he was sure he wouldn't throw up, Vincent steeled himself and entered the adjoining room. It was about the same size as the lab/library but far ghastlier. The lights were already on so Vincent didn't need to bother with that, which ended up being a good thing because he found that he couldn't move.

The far back was lined with conservation tanks, all but four of them undamaged and still filled with mako. There were labels on the four broken tanks and Vincent didn't need to get closer to read what they said. When he saw Reno trying to get closer, he grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Don't go further in. You'll disturb the scene and I'm afraid we'll need to take pictures."

"Do we really?" Cloud asked from behind both men, not wanting to go inside. "This…"

"Gast will need it," Vincent said even as he turned to leave. "We'll get it done tomorrow, though. We all need to rest."

Neither Reno nor Cloud protested and were quick to follow Vincent out of the cellar.

_That _**swine**_, _Chaos grumbled as they left. _If I could pluck his loathsome soul from the Lifestream and strand him here before Omega took off it wouldn't be punishment enough._

_You know what the truly terrible thing is?_

_What?_

_Even if he's dead, he's the only one who can fix the mess he made._

_Hn._

As soon as they stepped into the manor's foyer, Vincent's phone began to ring. The caller ID told him it was Tseng and, for some reason, that made him uneasy.

"Tseng? Is everything all right?"

"_Where were you? I've been calling all day but none of you were answering."_

"The sewer system runs deep. We probably didn't get any reception until we stepped out."

"_Oh. Well, did you find anything?"_

"Yes, but we're not done. We'll need to go back in tomorrow to search at least two more rooms."

"_I see."_

Vincent frowned and stopped walking. They were already on the dirt road that led to the city's main square. Cloud and Reno stopped, too, leaving their boxes on the ground.

"What is it, Tseng?"

The Wutain's sigh was long and laboured. _"There was a meeting today about the summit. Rufus, Lazard, Gast, Reeve, Scarlet, Heidegger, and I were there. Word about your medical leave had already spread by then and I don't exactly know what Gast told Rufus and Lazard but they decided to pull Sephiroth from the summit and send Zack instead. However, given the information Cissnei and Elena gathered on Avalanche, it was decided that we will play things out as if Sephiroth's replacement is last minute. Publicity won't change and no one other than those of us involved with the summit's planning should know."_

There was a pause before Tseng took in a deep breath and blurted out,_ "Avalanche knows, Vincent."_

"There's a mole," Vincent said, covering his eyes.

Cloud and Reno looked up sharply at him but neither said anything.

"_Yes. Cissnei, Elena, and Kunsel are trying to find out who it is. I sent Rude to interrogate Palmer—his attempt to sell the rocket prototype doesn't seem so innocuous anymore."_

"Who else knows?"

"_Just us Turks and Kunsel. I ordered him not to tell anyone at Soldier, just in case Lazard is involved."_

"All right. We can't go back now, Tseng. What we found…" He sighed and felt terribly tired all of a sudden. "We can't just leave it behind. We'll do our best to wrap up tomorrow but it'll depend on what we find."

"_Well, there's a bit of good news in that regard. After the meeting, Rufus had Gast and I stay behind. Gast gave the game away almost immediately—I think he was trying to get back at you for going off to Nibelheim against his wishes—and I couldn't deny that you were gone. But Rufus wasn't angry, more concerned, really, so he arranged it with Lazard to send Zack overnight. He should be in Nibelheim by sunrise."_

"We could use the extra pair of hands, for sure. If you can, make sure he brings a videocamera, since we only have the instant photo one."

"And an axe, yo! Or even better, a battering ram."

"Oh, right. An axe, too. Unless we still have one of those compact battering rams about. We might need one of those."

"_I… I'll see what I can find. Do I even want to know?"_

"No… But you'll hear about it when we return, all the same. We'll go back into the tunnels early tomorrow, so you might not be able to reach us all day again. I'll try to send you a text message from the cellar, see if it gets through."

"_Roger. I'll go put in that equipment request now and add a signal booster, just in case."_

"Okay. Rest up, Tseng, and good luck."

"_Same to you."_

The call ended and Vincent rubbed his face with his hands, grunting.

"What was that about a mole, yo?"

Vincent explained what Tseng told him and Cloud and Reno looked at each other in confusion.

"How can there be a mole so high up in the chain of command?" Cloud asked.

"It's the only way whoever it is got past us," Reno said, kicking a nearby rock in frustration. "Anyone below Vincent's tier we have under tight surveillance, but everyone in an executive position gets an absolute vote of confidence. Even Slutbag and Grubby-Hands."

Cloud had worked with Reno on enough occasions that he knew _Slutbag_ meant Scarlet and _Grubby-Hands_ could be none other than Heidegger.

"Rude's interrogating Palmer." When Cloud gave him a questioning look, Vincent explained. "We have him under custody because he was trying to sell a prototype he stole before leaving Shinra to a rival company. It's not a stretch that the money could be going to Avalanche."

"I know I'm stating the obvious here, but he wasn't at the meeting," Cloud pointed out.

"No, but he was a major suck-up for all other execs, so if any of them is involved, he'll know."

"And you think he'll just give them away?" Cloud asked.

"Even if Rude weren't the one interrogating him, he wouldn't last long," Vincent said.

Cloud simply nodded and they dropped the subject.

They decided to take the files and sample to the helicopter for safekeeping. Afterwards they returned to the inn and, in spite of the horrors of the day, had dinner. Cloud retired to his room to call Tifa while Reno decided to hit the local bar to unwind and Vincent simply went to his room to rest. He'd had half a mind to read the Fail-Safe file overnight but, after finding the last room at the cellar, he decided that it would be best to wait until they were back at Midgar. Except the mole business would probably prevent him from doing that as soon as he'd like.

_When it rains…_ Chaos said.

_This isn't rain. It's a storm. _

Zack arrived at sunrise, like Tseng predicted, loaded with a standard issue haversack plus a videocamera, two axes, a signal booster, and a battering ram. After giving him a quick briefing of the previous day's findings and the plan for the day, the team set out to explore the second laboratory and whatever else they might find in the depths of the cellar.

"I don't understand how no one knew about this," Zack said as they made it to the first lab.

"Hojo was very secretive about his research, as well as paranoid," Vincent explained. "Besides, as long as he provided the company with the results they wanted, they'd turn a blind eye to anything else he was doing. Nibelheim was his playground and he didn't have to account for anything that went on here."

"To think Tifa and I were probably playing up in Mount Nibel while he…"

Cloud couldn't even finish the sentence. Zack placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and the young blond smiled shakily at his friend.

"Let's just get this over with, yo," Reno said as he opened the heavy door that would take them to the control room.

Once in the control room, Zack took the videocamera while Cloud kept the instant camera and they began to document everything. Vincent and Reno stood on either side of the door leading to the second lab. While the two Soldiers went about their task, Reno turned to Vincent.

"Why wouldn't you let me go in that room yesterday, really?"

Vincent looked at him sideways before answering. "You'll see when we go in."

"All done," Cloud said.

The Head Turk nodded and motioned for him and Zack to go inside.

"Follow the tracks," was all he said.

Zack went first, doing as Vincent instructed and following the tracks back to their source. As he went, he felt his skin breaking into goosebumps and his stomach knotting; his hands grew less steady until he had to stop and put the camera down.

"I'm sorry, but… what the _fuck_ happened here, Director?"

Vincent had remained outside, not wanting to appear in the video Zack was taking. With a heavy sigh, he entered the room, following the same path the dark-haired Soldier had taken. Once he reached him, Vincent silently took the camera from the younger man's hands and resumed recording.

"The tracks originate on the conservation tanks' area," he said as much for the video as for his companions' sake. "There is broken glass all around the laboratory's floor, as well as traces of what can only be some sort of organic matter. Additionally, there are grooves and indentations on the floor and walls, as well as on some of the equipment, that seem to have been caused by claws or talons."

He walked towards the tanks and recorded each one as he spoke.

"These three broken tanks are labelled _Project SB, Project GB, _and _Project AB_. Given the nature of Hojo's research and the information we found on the first laboratory/library, it is safe to assume the samples held here belonged to secondary projects branching from Projects Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal. The next tank, also broken, is labelled _Galian Beast_, and the one next to that is _Chaos_. Then there are _Hell Masker, Death Gigas, _and _Jenova. _Although these four tanks remain untouched, they are also empty. We haven't read up on all the information gathered so there's no way to know just what Hell Masker and Death Gigas are or were.

"The longest set of tracks originates from Project AB's tank. After that, longest to shortest, come Project GB, Project SB, and Galian's. Pending a thorough review of the surveillance tapes, I can deduce that AB escaped and freed his companions, then Galian reacted to the Jenova cells in them and managed to escape his tank, too. A struggle followed in which Galian was killed, probably taking SB with him. AB and GB tried to escape but only AB made it past the door; there is nothing to indicate GB's fate. It is unclear at this point what happened to AB, whether he was simply stopped by the lab's personnel, killed, or died as a result of whatever experiments were performed on him."

He had followed the tracks back to the control room as he spoke, taking in as many details as he could. When he reached the end of AB's tracks, he stopped talking and recording. He had to take a deep breath before adding the next part of his assessment.

"Judging by the size of the tracks, I think SB, GB, and AB were all children under six years old. End of recon video."

Vincent handed the camera to Reno, who took it and stared at it as if it were responsible for the things his boss had just described.

"We wouldn't have been able to sleep at night," he said after a moment. "That's why you didn't let us in yesterday."

"That, and I wouldn't have been able to get you back here if another trip was necessary," Vincent added.

"I'd love to tell ya that I would've done my job no matter what, but I'd be lying, yo. I'm having trouble staying here and not bolting back to town."

"What kind of monster would experiment on little kids?" Zack asked, his fists shaking in anger at his sides.

"The same monster that would take his only child and pump him full of alien cells just to make a super soldier and win his rival's position as head of department," Cloud pointed out.

"As ironic as it is for me to say this, you need to forget about all that now," Vincent said. "We need to take all these tapes back, collect samples from that room in case Gast can use any of it, and make sure there aren't any more hidden rooms around. And I would greatly prefer to have all of that done today so we can go back to Midgar tonight."

The three men currently under Vincent's command looked at each other with unease for a moment before finally nodding and looking back at him.

"I don't know anything about collecting samples but I can pack like nobody's business," Zack said as he did a few squats.

"I'll get some drawers from the other room and help you with that," Cloud said.

"I'll help you with the samples, Bossman."

Vincent nodded. "Good. You all get started on that while I check for hidden doors."

Again, all three men nodded and set to work.

Vincent went into the second lab and checked the tanks again.

_I think Professor Deranged was planning to graft Hell Masker and Death Gigas to you, _Chaos said. _Whatever happened here with the children must have put him off that idea._

_You were here, it seems. Do you remember anything?_

_No. I can't retain memories without a physical body. Honestly, I'm afraid to find out what happened here. If I harmed those children…_

_It's not your fault, Chaos. _

_What happened to Sephiroth wasn't your fault, either. It doesn't stop you from letting guilt rule a big chunk of your life._

_Touché. Let's make a deal then: If you were in any way involved in whatever happened in here, you won't let it eat you up. In exchange, I'll try harder to follow my own advice and leave the past where it belongs._

_Deal. Now let's hurry up and wrap up here. In addition to this place giving me the creeps, I have a bad feeling about this mole business._

_That makes two of us._

Much to his annoyance, Vincent _did_ find another door in the second lab.

_At least we get to use the battering ram, _Chaos said, clearly excited.

After breaking the door in, Vincent grabbed a flashlight and entered a storage room for various compounds and even more journals in Hojo's nearly undecipherable squiggles. Frustration threatening to take over, Vincent took a deep breath and scanned the labels on some of the jars. His heart skipped a beat when several items had names that started or ended with _F-S_.

"Fail-Safe," he murmured. "What the hell were you up to, you sick bastard?"

Reno came up to his side then, carrying a bag filled with the samples he'd taken from the previous room.

"I'm all done with both rooms, Bossman. Need any help here?"

"Yeah, but we'll need cardboard boxes."

"There are some empty crates back in the chopper that the previous pilot forgot to unload. I cursed him up and down when I noticed, but I guess it was a good thing, in the end."

"Yeah. Take Cloud with you and bring… I don't know, five or six over, just in case. Take back whatever's already packed, too. My text to Tseng didn't go through and every minute we spend away from Midgar makes me even more uneasy."

"I know. I feel like we fuckin' dropped the ball, yo. A _mole_. That's like…" He grunted and mimicked strangling something with his free hand.

Vincent couldn't help but chuckle. "Calm down, Red. We'll get it fixed. And once we do, I'll have a nice, long chat with our young President about absolute-confidence votes. Long story short: never again. Not even us."

"You've been back long enough to have realised that we're the only department Rufus _knows_ he can rely on one hundred percent. And he's the only exec _we_ can absolutely trust."

A small smile tugged at Vincent's lips. "I suppose. It was very different with his father, so I guess part of me is still hung up on that."

Reno shrugged and patted Vincent's shoulder. "Rufus can replace everyone but us, and we only need him. The rest is just trimming. I'll go get those crates now."

Vincent nodded and, as Reno left, he took a walk around the room just to make sure there weren't any more surprises. A little over half an hour later, he heaved a sigh of relief when he was certain Hojo didn't have anything else stashed away and leaned on the wall before slumping to the floor with his head between his hands.

That's how Zack found him a few minutes later. The black-haired Soldier seemed at a loss for a moment before sitting next to Vincent.

"Everything all right, Director Valentine?"

Vincent huffed a chuckle. "Not at all, Lieutenant Fair."

"That was a pretty quick response."

"Well, I've had a horrible half-week and it's only going to get worse. No need to think of an answer."

Zack nodded. "I can sort of understand that."

He paused, trying to figure out whether or not it was a good idea to speak his mind. In the end, he took a deep breath before continuing.

"Listen, I know some of what's going on so I'm not going to say anything to stir the pot, but Aerith made me promise I'd tell you that she would like to talk to you as soon as you have a few hours to spare. She knows it might not be anytime soon, but still."

The gunman looked at Zack with a slightly bemused expression. The Soldier laughed and shook his head.

"I didn't think Turks could look so at a loss, Director."

"Well, that was rather unexpected, Lieutenant. But, tell Ms. Gainsborough that I would love to have a chat with her as soon as things clear up a little."

"Awesome. So, all we need to do is finish packing this room and the tapes?"

Vincent nodded. "Thankfully. I don't want to spend more time here than absolutely necessary."

"No kidding. Cloud's very shaken up, too."

"To know your hometown was the epicentre of so much evil is not an easy thing to come to terms with. I hope he can forgive me for dragging him here again, but he's the only person with sufficient knowledge of the area that I can trust."

"He doesn't blame you, Director. He's happy to help."

"I know. That's one of the reasons I'll talk to Lazard and put in a formal recommendation to promote him to First Class. Kunsel, too. He's helped us a lot with Avalanche."

Zack grinned and playfully bumped his shoulder against Vincent's.

"Thanks, Director. They'll be really happy to hear that."

"Not a—"

He stopped when he heard someone running towards the room. A few seconds later, Reno skidded inside with a crate in each hand, panting.

"Vincent, we gotta run. Tseng called while we were coming back and said they found the moles. Slutbag and Grubby-Hands have been selling us out for nearly a year."

Zack and Vincent jumped to their feet. Before they could say anything, Reno dropped the crates and his green eyes blazed with anger.

"They _escaped_, Vincent. Not only that, but Elena and Kunsel are missing as well."

"Missing?" Zack asked.

"Taken by Avalanche."

Reno was about to say something else when he caught Vincent's eyes. They were flickering between crimson and gold and the redhead was sure he could see something crawl underneath the gunman's skin.

"Vincent?"

"Director? What the—?"

"Finish packing up _now_," Vincent said, his voice mixed with Chaos's. "Scarlet and Heidegger's days are numbered."

—

Hi, all!

So, another chapter's gone by. Sorry if it seems like this didn't go anywhere, but there are things I wanted to mention that would've gotten lost in later chapters. I'll try to have that done by next week, by the way, but my internet situation is kinda crappy so we'll see.

Also, I made a mistake in chapter 4. At some point I typed that Seph was thirty when he's actually 31. I'll go back and fix it as soon as I can but yeah.

Thanks to everyone who has commented, favourited/followed/given kudos. It means a lot to me :)


	7. Whack-A-Mole

**Chapter Summary:**

Planning a rescue mission, dealing with fidgety executives and Soldiers, executing the aforementioned rescue mission, and dealing with its aftershocks—all within the span of eighteen hours. All to receive one more gut-wrenching call from Gast claiming to be as important as looking after an injured family member. Vincent can't help but wonder when will the storm centred around himself end.

—

Vincent was curled up on an armchair in Elena's room at the medical wing, typing away on his tablet. The tapping of his fingers on the screen mixed with the beeping of Elena's heart monitor and the deep, even rhythm of her breathing. Her left arm was in a cast, her head, torso, and right ankle were heavily bandaged, and several bruises and cuts covered a large part of her body. An IV delivered painkillers and she wore an oxygen mask. The doctors said she was out of danger but she hadn't woken up since Vincent and Rude rushed her to the medical wing.

Kunsel was in the room across the hall with a broken leg, several cracked ribs, a broken nose, and assorted cuts and bruises. His forehead was heavily bandaged and there was a net around his head from the surgery to repair his cracked skull. Like Elena, he had yet to wake up after passing out on the evacuation chopper on their way to Shinra HQ.

Vincent was writing up the report of the events leading up to and including Elena and Kunsel's rescue from an Avalanche hideout near Kalm. He was wearing a patch over his left eye while it healed from a stray knife jab, and a bandage on his right forearm. Even though his healing rate was faster than even Sephiroth's thanks to Chaos's presence, Gast had tried to get him to rest in his own room; however, Vincent refused to let Elena out of his sight. Tseng, Rude, and Reno were busy interrogating Heidegger, Scarlet, and Ginga—Avalanche's leader in the region—while Cissnei coordinated information with Lazard and Sephiroth. Angeal had stayed behind at the factory to gather all documents that hadn't been destroyed during the raid in hopes of finding information about other Avalanche cells and their plans for the summit and other upcoming events.

Zack was in Kunsel's room, loth to let anyone else look after his pupil. Cloud had been excused from the mission altogether when Vincent put him in charge of all the data and items they had gathered at Nibelheim, but he had found the time to call Vincent and Zack as soon as he heard they were back to check on Elena and Kunsel's condition.

From their kidnapping to their hospitalisation, the Turk and the Soldier's ordeal lasted about thirteen hours, and they'd been in the medical wing for at least four. All in all, no more than eighteen hours had passed, and yet Vincent felt like an entire week of his life had been spent trying to save the life of both operatives.

As soon as they landed at the top of the Shinra building, the four men inside the helicopter sprung into action, their plan having been detailed on the flight over from Midgar.

Cloud stayed behind guarding the cargo and waiting for Gast and his team to arrive to start transporting everything to the Science Department. He had strict instructions to make a copy of the Fail-Safe binder for Vincent and to hold on to it until the situation with the moles had been resolved. Vincent, Reno, and Zack rushed to the Turks' floor, where Tseng and Cissnei waited along with Lazard and Rufus. Sephiroth had wanted to be there but, for obvious reasons, he was ordered to stay away. Angeal was already on the field, surveilling Elena and Kunsel's last known location along with Rude.

Vincent and the other two barged into the conference room, seething and ready to bash someone's head in. Chaos was still restless within Vincent, making the Head Turk's skin ripple now and again with the threat of a transformation. Rufus and Lazard looked at him warily.

"It's fine," Vincent grumbled, Chaos's voice echoing around the edges. "He's behaving. What's the situation?"

Tseng nodded and brought up surveillance photos on the overhead projector. They showed a run-down factory of sorts in a valley between two mountain ranges near an ocean shore.

"The Avalanche surveillance team was able to locate their main hideout in the area on Monday. It was about an hour after the summit meeting where it was decided that Zack would replace Sephiroth as Soldier's rep. We now know that it was Heidegger that tipped the local Avalanche leader, and their conversation allowed Elena and Kunsel to pinpoint Avalanche's location. It's an abandoned seafood processing plant about three quarters of the way between Midgar and Kalm. They managed to stay off radar by using the facility's built-in tunnels. Communication up until a couple of weeks ago was done mainly via radio because there weren't enough wireless towers in the area."

Rufus's stare darkened. "That bitch made us invest in the area under the pretext that a new testing facility could be built there. She said she wanted more towers there to be able to better communicate with the prospecting teams." He punched the table, cursing. "I can't believe she was doing it to help Avalanche."

"Calm down, Rufus. We'll have plenty of time to think of a way to handle them once we get Elena and Kunsel back," Lazard said.

Rufus exhaled slowly and nodded. Tseng kept going.

"It was a good thing that we invested in the towers, otherwise we never would've intercepted the call between Heidegger and Avalanche. It also helped us in programming the drones to take the surveillance pictures. As soon as we realised they were there, we sent out Kunsel and Elena to stake out the facility in order to come up with a plan of attack. At the same time, Rude was interrogating Palmer about his attempt at selling the plans in Junon. He caved easily and ratted out Scarlet and Heidegger. That's when things snowballed south."

He switched the pictures on the projector and showed pictures that Elena and Kunsel had sent before disappearing. There were notes attached to each picture that detailed how many people guarded the access points as well as the timing of the shift changes.

"Almost ten minutes after we received these pictures, all communication with Elena and Kunsel was lost. The GPS units built into their phones stopped working and the instruments monitoring their vitals went offline. The same thing happened with Scarlet and Heidegger's phones—they stopped transmitting their location as soon as they stepped out of the building."

"How did they know we were on to them, yo?"

"A member of the Security Department saw Rude taking Palmer in for questioning and tipped Heidegger off," Cissnei said. "We were forced to detain all security personnel in the building to make sure there were no more information leaks, but the damage was already done."

"I hate being the one asking this, but… if we lost all contact with them, how do we know Elena and Kunsel are alive?" Zack asked.

Tseng's expression turned grim as he switched the images on the projector once more.

"Because of this."

One of two pictures showed Elena tied to a chair; her jacket had been torn into strips and used to bind her to the chair and to gag and blindfold her. There was a large cut on her left temple and her lip was split. The picture right next to it showed Kunsel on the floor with his hands tied behind his back and his ankles tied together. He was also gagged and blindfolded and there was a lot of blood on the lower half of his face. There was no way to know if they were conscious or not until Tseng played an audio file that had been sent along with the photos.

"_This is Ginga, leader of Avalanche. We have Elena of the Turks and Kunsel of Soldier as our hostages. We demand Rufus Shinra's resignation as President of the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company and the discontinuation of all mako reactors effective immediately. You have twenty-four hours to comply, or your lapdogs will die."_

In the background, Elena and Kunsel could be heard screaming in pain even through their gags. The audio ran for a few seconds more before stopping entirely.

Those who had already seen the photos and heard the audio bit back their outrage. Reno and Zack cursed and were visibly restless, while Vincent remained stock still, his eyes closed. The only outward sign that he was in any way affected by the situation was the flickering of his eyelids.

"How long ago did you receive this?" Vincent asked, eyes still closed.

"Five hours. I called Reno as soon as I finished going over the photos and audio," Tseng said.

"Do you know where they are?"

"The abandoned plant," Cissnei answered.

"Have you heard anything from Angeal and Rude?"

"There has been some movement inside the plant but nothing outside. We believe they're sticking exclusively to the tunnels now that they know we've found their location. There hasn't been any sight of Scarlet or Heidegger but, again, they could already be inside."

"Just say the word, Bossman. I'll fly us all up there, we'll get the kids out and then we'll burn that den of snakes to the ground."

"We need Scarlet and Heidegger alive," Lazard said. "We need to know just how much information they've leaked out to Avalanche and our rivals. It would also help if we could capture Ginga."

"You've gotta be kiddin'!" Reno snapped. "They fucking sold us out and you're expecting us to let them live?"

"Believe me, they won't have particularly long lives," Rufus hissed.

"We'll deal with that later," Vincent said. "Right now we need a plan. Barging in guns blazing might do more harm than good, particularly when dealing with a ragtag troupe of easily frightened, trigger happy incompetents that have nothing to lose. Elena and Kunsel will endure; we just need to play our cards right."

Lazard relaxed, obviously relieved that someone in the room was thinking logically, if only for the time being.

"I think the best course of action would be to cut the power to the facility. It would kill their security cameras and leave them in a state of confusion that we could use to our advantage," he said.

Cissnei took the remote from Tseng's hands and brought up the blueprints for the factory that she had procured as soon as Elena reported the location of Avalanche's hideout.

"That should be relatively easy," she said, using the laser to point out the small shed that housed the plant's generator. "It's just a matter of infiltrating this small construction here and switching everything off."

"We know that the tunnels come out in this area," Tseng said, taking the other laser pointer and indicating a small way station. "We can have a small team here to catch any strays while we raid the plant. According to Kunsel's notes, security is very thin and sloppy on the east entrance. That seems like a safe access and egress point."

"Where are Elena and Kunsel held?" Zack asked.

"We have narrowed it down to either the cargo area near the tunnels or the packing section on the second floor. Angeal and Rude are trying to figure out which of the two areas is the right one but visibility from their vantage point isn't very good and there's really no other place they can try to get a better view from."

"We need three teams, then," Zack said. "One positioned at the way station, and two to infiltrate the factory. One would focus on the hostiles and the other would look for our friends and the moles."

"I'll take care of the hostiles," Vincent said. "Let Soldier patrol the way station while the Turks take Elena and Kunsel to safety and capture Scarlet and Heidegger if they're there."

Zack and Lazard looked at Vincent with twin looks of skepticism. When they turned to Rufus, they were surprised to see him nodding in approval.

"I'm sorry, Director Valentine, but… are you sure? We don't know how many people they have inside," Zack said cautiously.

Vincent's lips curled in a menacing grin. When his eyes finally opened, they shone with a cold, golden glow, and his voice as he spoke was more Chaos than Vincent.

"The more the merrier," he intoned.

It took a bit of convincing and a stern order from Rufus for Lazard and Zack to shut up and do as they were told, but in the end they went with Vincent's plan. Zack asked for two hours to rally and outfit enough Soldier operatives to barricade the tunnels; Reno used that time to prepare the helicopter that would take the Turks to the location. With Heidegger and Scarlet gone, Rufus had to authorise the use of two Gelnika airplanes to transport the Soldier units, and Lazard personally oversaw their preparations. Cissnei contacted Angeal and Rude and relayed the plan to them as soon as the meeting was over. After that, she set up a secure network for the extraction team to communicate in case any Avalanche informants were still at large in the building.

While the preparations were under way, Vincent took the chance to eat. He knew he'd need to keep up his strength for Chaos to be able to raid Avalanche's hideout on his own. He was in his office eating take-out from a nearby café when Rufus entered. The young President's expression was grim as he sat across from the Head Turk with his arms folded over his chest. The gunman took the blond's overall appearance before offering him some of his food. A small smile curved Rufus's lips as he shook his head minutely.

"You need it more than I," was all he said.

Vincent shrugged and took another bite from his chicken parmesan. He chewed slowly, trying to gauge whether Rufus would say something or if it was up to him to start the conversation. As he swallowed, he realised the younger man had no idea where to begin.

"I told Reno I'd have a long chat with you about absolute confidence votes and the hassle they can be. Now, though, I don't think I need to."

That seemed to hit the nail on the head. Rufus slumped in his chair, covering his face with his hands and grunting in frustration.

"It's my fault. I knew those three weasels were nothing but trouble even before I took over, but I never imagined they'd go so far as to sabotage the company and allow my employees to come to harm. If something happens to Elena and Kunsel, I—"

"_Nothing_ will happen to them," Vincent said sternly. "Elena's my family—"

"She's my family, too!" Rufus interrupted, sitting on the edge of his chair and punching the armrests. "The Turks are the only family I have left, Vincent! They kept me safe from my _father_, for Planet's sake. And now…"

He rested his head in his hands, trembling in anger and fear.

Vincent wasn't shocked to learn that Old Shinra had tried to get rid of his son in one way or another. He'd met the man and knew he was nothing but bad news all around. He wasn't surprised to learn that Tseng and the others, possibly spurred by Veld, had decided to protect the young man from the old bastard's ambition, either. What Reno had told him back at Nibelheim made a lot more sense now, and he made a mental note to get the whole story from the others as soon as there was a chance.

However, seeing Rufus so shaken up _was_ a surprise. There was a rumour circulating the company stating that no one had ever seen Rufus bleed or cry. He didn't know anything about that, but he did know that the young man had a flinty disposition. He had rarely seen Rufus outside of work so he had no idea if it was just an act or if the blond really was like that. Right now, however, he supposed the man was as multifaceted as himself. There was no way to fake such concern and guilt over the fate of another person.

Leaving his food aside for a moment, Vincent stood up and walked around his desk to stand behind Rufus's chair. He placed his hands on the blond's shoulders and squeezed reassuringly. Once he felt the younger man relax, he spoke.

"If you feel so strongly about Elena and the others, then I know exactly how you feel right now, sir. That being the case, I hope you believe me when I say that I will do everything in my power to bring Elena and Kunsel back alive. Afterwards, I will let you and Lazard deal with the weasels, and then the three of us will figure out how to protect those we hold dear in the future. We dropped the ball this once, Rufus, but I assure you that no one is going to threaten our family again. If they try, they'll have to deal with me _and_ Chaos."

Rufus nodded, slumping back on the chair and tilting his head back to look at Vincent's face.

"Lazard and Zack are worried that Chaos might get trigger happy, to use your term."

Vincent grinned. "I know. We like it that way."

The blond frowned and twisted around in his chair to look at Vincent evenly. "I'm not kidding here, Vincent. I don't know exactly what's going on with you and… Gast's son, but if there's a chance, _any_ chance, that you might lose control of Chaos and endanger everyone, I need to know."

"There is not the slightest chance of that happening. It's Galian we have some issues with, and as long as Gast's son stays away from us, everything will be fine. Chaos regards the Turks as his family, too, and as such he would never allow himself to put them in harm's way. I give you my word, sir."

Rufus nodded and relaxed again. "Good." He waited until Vincent returned to his chair to continue. "I know what Lazard said about needing Scarlet and Heidegger alive, but… it wouldn't be a tragedy if they fell off a flight of stairs and broke their legs or something similarly accidental."

The gunman laughed around a bite of pasta.

Bad weather held their departure back for an hour and a half and added another forty minutes to a flight that would have otherwise taken a little under an hour. By the time they made it to the vicinity of Avalanche's hideout, Elena and Kunsel had been missing for nearly twelve hours.

Reno landed the chopper two kilometres away from the outer edge of one of the mountain ranges that created the valley where the factory had been built. It was as close as they dared get—they didn't want Avalanche to hear them coming. A short call with Zack told them that the two Gelnikas had landed safely on the shore and the Soldier operatives were on their way to barricade the entrance to the tunnels that led to the factory's basement.

Rude and Angeal joined the Turks at the foot of the mountain and provided an updated report. Scarlet and Heidegger had just arrived at the factory and were greeted by a stocky guy in his late thirties that seemed to be running the operations in the hideout. Unlike everyone else, the ex-Shinra executives accessed the building through the northern entrance after arriving to the site in an unmarked vehicle.

"Let's go through this again," Vincent said. "Reno and Cissnei will cut the power off. We'll take that chance to infiltrate through the eastern entrance. I'll deal with the hostiles while the rest of you find Elena and Kunsel. Now that we know that Scarlet and Heidegger _are_ here, you'll also take them under custody. Angeal and Rude, if you see the man that they talked to, bring him in, too. It's likely he's this Ginga character that recorded the ransom tape.

"I expect most of the rank and file will try to flee once they realise just what kind of trouble they're in and I'll do my best to cover you all, but if any strays try to attack you, take them down. We only need three prisoners."

Everyone nodded and checked their gear and weapons one more time before moving into the clearing that housed the factory.

Vincent saved his progress and stretched, rolling his head to relieve some of the tension on his neck. A quick glance at Elena told him she was still sound asleep; her vitals remained steady, too, and that brought him some degree of relief.

Rubbing his right eye, he reached into his jacket's pocket for a chocolate bar. He really should have gone to the cafeteria or at least the vending machines for something more substantial but he was more concerned with keeping an eye on Elena. He'd barely taken a bite out of the bar when the secure phone Cissnei gave him before they left for the factory vibrated in his pocket. Nearly inhaling the piece of chocolate in his mouth, he answered.

"Vincent speaking."

"_It's Rufus. Just checking if it's all right to see Elena now."_

"You can come if you like, sir, but she's still sleeping."

"_I see. I think I'll stop by, anyway. Do you need anything?"_

"Decent food would be nice."

"_By 'decent' I take it you mean not from a vending machine or the cafeteria,"_ Rufus said in obvious amusement.

"Right now even that would be acceptable. It's slightly better than the chocolate bar I'm about to wolf down."

Rufus chuckled. _"Understood. I won't take long."_

"All right. See you soon, sir."

"_See you soon."_

Vincent stood up and took another bite off the chocolate bar before walking to Elena's bed. He gently pushed hair out of her face and straightened her sheets. He squeezed her hand and kissed her forehead softly before heading back to the armchair. He was reading through the last thing he'd written on his report when there was a soft knock on the door. Before he could answer, a nurse came in to check Elena's vitals. While she did that, Vincent popped the rest of the chocolate into his mouth and resumed his report.

It took Reno and Cissnei less than five minutes to infiltrate the generator's shed, disable the lights, and rejoin the party at the eastern entrance. As predicted, the lack of electricity caused enough of a confusion that it was easy for the six of them to access the building without confrontation. The night-vision goggles Cissnei had procured greatly assisted them as they bypassed the guard shift and entered the factory's lobby. Disposing of the lone guard stationed there was no problem, either.

However, as soon as they were inside, all hell broke loose.

The terrorists were better trained and equipped than Vincent had given them credit for and they had apparently been waiting for them. He heard at least three different people shouting orders: kill the intruders, evacuate the execs and the boss, get rid of all the evidence. When another voice ordered for the hostages to be disposed of, Vincent glanced quickly to his left. He was just in time to catch Tseng's determined glance as he sprinted towards the staircase leading to the second floor followed closely by Reno, both of them shooting the confused hostiles getting in their way. Cissnei and Rude were on their way to the far side of the factory, their goal the cargo area near the tunnels. Angeal had apparently spotted Avalanche's leader or the Shinra traitors and was making his way to what appeared to be an office, his Buster Sword doubling as a shield against a flurry of bullets and thrown objects.

_How do you want to do this? _Chaos asked.

Vincent grinned, his canines elongating until they were full-fledged fangs.

_Wraith_, was his reply.

Chaos laughed his approval.

Vincent had left his three-barrelled gun behind and chose instead a set of twin revolvers the Turks had given him for his birthday last year. They were a lot easier to reload and handle, particularly when he decided not to allow Chaos a full transformation and settled with his wraith-like form.

He didn't know how it worked, only how it felt. In a word, it was disturbing, the only sensation close to it being the painful pins-and-needles feeling you get when circulation returns to your limbs after a long period of being asleep, except it didn't hurt. Instead, there was a tingly sensation all over his body, accompanied by a maddening adrenaline rush and an astounding ethereal experience.

Visually, Reno's description was spot on: _fucking freaky_.

It looked like Vincent's body became a blur of fabric and something leathery, very likely Chaos's wings and skin. After some time, the Weapon had taught the gunman how to control the transformations and he could easily switch between the wraith and his own body, sometimes staying in an in-between state where he was encased in a fluttery mass, allowing him to shoot and reload without becoming a target. If he chose to, he could also partially transform his arms and legs, replacing them with Chaos's claws and talons.

During this particular raid, he hopped from place to place, shooting terrorists that were far away with impeccable aim and snapping the necks of anyone who managed to come close enough to him for close quarters combat. A few times he found himself surrounded by the boldest or more reckless enemies. His solution was simple: he became a deadly spinning top, lashing out with claws and talons. By the time he was done, all that was left of his attackers were severed limbs and a lot of carnage.

Unflinching, he kept moving through the main floor, dispatching anyone foolish enough not to be on the run already. He dodged knives and bullets with nearly ridiculous ease, all the while keeping an eye on the three teams scattered across the factory. They were all wearing earbuds to communicate but all he kept hearing from the other Turks was 'clear' whenever they kicked a door down; Angeal had yet to say anything and Zack had only checked in once to say the hostiles were under control on his end.

Long minutes dragged by and the hostiles began to thin out inside the factory. The main floor was clear and Vincent flew to the first floor. As soon as he landed on the catwalk, a rain of bullets centred on him. He cartwheeled along the bridge, returning fire and easily disposing of the marksmen. Soon he was flanked by foot soldiers, making his situation slightly more challenging. Still, no matter how much he had underestimated the enemy before, he had now reassessed them and acted accordingly.

It didn't take him long to dispose of the two dozen or so hostiles coming at him from either side of the catwalk. When only two of them remained, Cissnei's voice on his comm unit informed him they had found Elena and Kunsel alive. The immense wave of relief that washed over him turned out to be distraction enough for one of his attackers to come close to him while he was stationary in his normal shape. Thankfully, the man was more panicked than anything else and only managed two wild swings with his hunting knife. One clipped Vincent's left eye and the other met his right forearm as he tried to defend himself. A well-placed kick sent the attacker flying off the bridge and he put a bullet between the other one's eyes.

After making sure no one else was coming at him, his attention returned to the chatter coming through the comm unit. Tseng had joined Angeal in pursuit of Scarlet, Heidegger, and the man they had by now confirmed to be Ginga. Cissnei, Reno, and Rude had stabilised Elena and Kunsel and were already on their way back to the chopper.

Tearing the sleeve off his jacket, Vincent used it as a makeshift bandage for his eye and forearm before deciding to join Tseng and Angeal.

He was about a hundred metres away from the generator's shed when he saw that Angeal was guarding Scarlet and Heidegger, who were handcuffed with their backs against the shed. Ginga was still trying to fight his way out in a hand-to-hand duel against Tseng, who seemed to have run out of bullets and throwing knives. Vincent knew his second in command was holding back, very likely trying to rein in his anger in order not to kill the man that had caused them so much grief over the past few years. He also realised that the Wutain's self-control was quickly slipping and he was dangerously close to just killing Ginga.

Not that Vincent would blame him if he did.

Images of Elena and Kunsel beaten up and tied to chairs flooded Vincent's mind. He didn't snap but that was nothing short of a miracle. He closed the final sixty metres or so in full wraith mode; all Angeal and the rest saw was a black shadow tackling Ginga to the ground and enveloping him like a living, sentient bank of sable fog. Ginga's panicked screams were so loud that not even the strong wind that had began to howl in the valley could carry them away. By the time Vincent solidified into his human form less than a minute later, Avalanche's leader had a broken nose and fractured cheekbone, both shoulders dislocated, a fractured clavicle, his left leg broken and twisted like a candy wrapper, and several lacerations all over his body. He wasn't screaming anymore.

Vincent was kneeling over Ginga with one hand wrapped around the man's neck while the other one was holding a revolver to his forehead. The gunman's breathing was perfectly even, which only made his overall appearance all the more terrifying.

His face, hair, and arms were covered with blood and bits of what seemed to be flesh. The bandages he had applied before leaving the factory had fallen off, showing his left eye was now swollen shut, making the intense golden glow of his right eye all the more apparent and sinister. His lips were curled in a vicious half grin, half snarl that showed his fangs. His clothes were all in disarray, and the missing sleeve of his jacket made the dark blood staining his usually pristine white shirt a focal point.

Angeal and Tseng were frozen for a moment. Scarlet fainted at the sight and Heidegger was screaming at the top of his lungs that Vincent was a demon and that he didn't want to die at his hands. Before Angeal could react, Vincent leapt off Ginga and unto Heidegger, wrapping two clawed arms around the heavyset man's broad neck. That brought the former executive's screaming down to panicked blubbering.

"I should _end_ you right now," Vincent snarled.

His face was less than an inch away from Heidegger's and some of the blood dripping from his black tresses fell on the other man's face. Heidegger's high-pitched whimper apparently was too much for Vincent's straining patience and the gunman shoved the large man against the wall, knocking him out.

With a disgusted grunt, Vincent stood up and walked away from the scene without looking at Tseng or Angeal, disappearing into the shadow of the mountain.

Tseng exhaled heavily and went about the tedious business of handcuffing Ginga even though it was unlikely the man would try to escape given his condition. He could sense Angeal fidgeting behind him but he paid the man no heed until he was done with Avalanche's leader. When he was, he stood up, stretching his back and legs before turning towards the Soldier.

"What the hell was that, Tseng?"

"The Director doing his job."

Angeal's blue eyes, clearly visible in the dark thanks to their mako glow, narrowed and fixed Tseng with an icy stare.

"How is nearly mutilating a suspect part of his job?"

The smile Tseng gave Angeal made him as uneasy as Vincent's cold demeanour before stepping into the shadows did.

"I would have killed him, Angeal. One more minute of dancing around with him and I would have snapped his neck."

"Because of Elena?"

"Because of Elena, because of Kunsel, because of everyone who has died as a result of Avalanche's narrow-minded ambition. Because of the constant headache Avalanche has been for the President and all the other executives, including Vincent and Lazard. Because I can't kill Scarlet, Heidegger, or Palmer. Because he_ doesn't deserve to live_."

"Who are you to decide that?"

"We're Turks."

Vincent had returned without either of them noticing. He was standing a few metres away from them, still mostly covered in blood but looking more composed. His eyes were back to their warm crimson colour, at least the one that was still open, and his arms were back to normal.

"You can't understand, Commander Hewley, and that's fine. But don't judge us."

He casually flicked some blood off his chin while staring evenly at Angeal. The Soldier returned the stare but eventually he sighed heavily and turned away.

"Cissnei and the others are probably waiting for you to return to Midgar. Leave these three with me—it might get too crowded in the helicopter with all of you and the weather is still rather foul," Angeal suggested. "I'll send Zack ahead with the prisoners while I stay behind with a few Soldier operatives to retrieve whatever documents Avalanche didn't destroy."

Vincent and Tseng exchanged a brief look and Vincent nodded.

"I think that's a good idea."

Without warning, Vincent grabbed Tseng by the waist and, enveloping him in a black shroud of leathery mist, disappeared.

After materialising a few metres away from the chopper, Vincent grunted as if someone had kicked him in the guy and fell to his knees. Tseng helped him up and Reno, who got off the bird as soon as he saw the two men appear out of nowhere in the field ahead of them, helped carried Vincent into the helicopter.

As soon as everyone was securely on board, Reno took off towards Midgar as fast as he could given the still uncooperative weather. Both Kunsel and Elena had been awake when Cissnei and Rude found them but had drifted in and out of consciousness on the way from the factory to the helicopter. Kunsel had inquired about Elena after being strapped to the stretcher and promptly given in to exhaustion as soon as Cissnei told him the blonde was fine. While he remained down for the count the rest of the flight, Elena kept waking up every half hour or so. Rude remained at her side, holding her hand and reassuring her when she came to.

Tseng had just finished hooking a saline IV to Vincent's uninjured arm to help rehydrate him after all the blood he had lost and was now busy bandaging his eye. Anyone else would have needed stitches but Vincent insisted that Chaos would take care of it.

"Stop fussing, Corvus. I'll be as good as new by tomorrow."

"You're still bleeding, though. We need to at least stop that."

"_Why_ are you still bleeding?" Cissnei asked while she tended to Kunsel's wounds. "It should've already stopped."

"Chaos was too worked up to keep an eye on Galian and he got slightly out of control. He can't spare the energy to close my wounds until he's done with him."

"Did you find anything at Nibelheim that might help Gast figure out how to control Galian?" Tseng asked.

"Possibly, but we didn't have much time to go through the files so I'm not entirely sure."

Vincent felt his secure phone vibrate in his pants' pocket and he fished it out with his left hand.

"Valentine."

"_I'm not going to make a big deal out of you not calling me as soon as you got on the chopper, but I need to know how Elena and Kunsel are doing. I just got a text from Zack saying the operation was over but he didn't give me any details."_

A weary smiled curved Vincent's lip and he grabbed Tseng's hand in his to stop the Wutain from trying to clean blood off his face while he talked to Rufus.

"Apologies, sir. Both of them are alive—a bit worse for wear but they should recover fully given enough time."

A ragged sigh of relief came from the other side of the line and he could hear Rufus slumping on his desk.

"_Thank Minerva," _he breathed. _"How is everyone else?"_

"They all performed admirably and got away with minor bumps and cuts here and there."

"_And you?"_

"Got sloppy and have a couple of bothersome knife wounds as a reminder not to let my emotions get in the way of work."

"_Anything serious?"_

"Nothing that won't heal in a day or two."

"_What about Scarlet and Heidegger, then?"_

"Alive, too. Zack will bring them in along with Ginga."

Rufus nearly growled. _"Good. Do you have an ETA? So I can alert medical and have them on the helipad waiting for you."_

After consulting with Reno, Vincent informed Rufus that they expected to be back in Midgar in an hour and a half, at the most. After promising to have everything ready for their return, Rufus ended the call. As soon as Vincent closed his phone, Tseng went back to trying to clean Vincent's face. The gunman didn't bother trying to stop him this time. He did lick blood off his lip again, catching the Wutain's gaze.

"What? You're looking at me like Angeal did back there."

"I'm sorry. I just don't remember you ever doing that before."

_Tell him it's my fault. _

_Is it, now?_

_Yep. It's a way to recycle energy while you can get a decent meal and rest. We were doing it at the factory, too, you just didn't realise it._

_Lovely._

"Chaos says it's his fault. He needs energy and it seems like this is the only way he can get it, at least until I get actual food and rest."

Tseng smirked as he continued to wipe blood off Vincent's cheek.

"You had Angeal positively spooked, Vin-sama."

"Good. That'll teach him to second-guess us."

When Rufus entered Elena's room about an hour after his phone call with Vincent, he found both the blonde and the Head Turk similarly fast asleep. The gunman was still on the armchair, curled up with his tablet hugged to his chest. His head was slumped back on the chair's back and he was snoring softly. The young President couldn't resist the urge to take out his phone to take a picture of one of the company's most mysterious and feared men sound asleep and looking not only vulnerable but borderline adorable.

He'd barely snapped his phone shut when a sliver of crimson became visible through thick eyelashes and Vincent curled on himself like a cat.

"That better not make the rounds around the office, sir," Vincent half yawned.

Rufus grinned and handed Vincent a brown takeout bag.

"Don't worry—that's for my eyes only, Vincent. Unless I need to talk one of the Turks into doing something they don't want to."

Vincent made a small noise that Rufus had no idea how to interpret before opening the bag and inhaling deeply. The appreciative sigh and the impatient grumble coming from the gunman's belly were not difficult to understand at all.

"I had to ask around what you like. I hope I got it right."

"Shoyu ramen from Leviathan's Scales? The only thing better than this is Tseng's home cooked version. Thank you, sir."

Rufus nodded and went to look at Elena's still form. A flicker of anger passed through his blue eyes before softening. He caressed her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Hey, Elena. It's me, Rufus. Just… Rest up, darling. We'll be here when you wake up."

Vincent was already eating his ramen, trying to enjoy it rather than just inhaling it like a starved man. Hearing Rufus's soft tone helped him slow down. Again, here was a facet of the young President Vincent had never seen. He supposed he would've seen it sooner if he'd bothered to talk to the blond outside of work, but he'd been too busy rebuilding himself to socialise much outside of the Turks and Cloud.

_It's not too late_.

_I hope so._

"Sir? Why don't you take a seat? She's not going anywhere and you look exhausted."

Rufus nodded and brought the visitor's chair next to Vincent's armchair. He sat down with a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Vincent fished about on the takeout bag and brought out an orange cookie that he handed to the blond.

"Elena says you're as big of a sugar junkie as she is. I don't want you biting my hand off if you decide you wanted the cookie, after all."

Vincent rolled his eyes and practically shoved the cookie at Rufus.

"There's more in the bag and it looks like you could use a picker upper."

The President smiled and took the cookie, taking a small bite out of it. He moaned in surprise and gave Vincent a wide-eyed look.

"I know," Vincent said with a grin. "They're amazing."

"Reno keeps going on and on about this place but I always dismiss him. I'll have to organise an outing or something as soon as the dust settles."

"That's a great idea."

Rufus let Vincent finish his ramen in peace before tackling a subject that had been bothering him since Angeal's return to the building an hour and a half ago.

"Angeal was rather unhappy when he got back. He said you unnecessarily harmed Ginga and Heidegger. On top of that, Tseng had a bit of a meltdown and you justified him by saying that Turks can decide who deserves to live and who doesn't."

"That seems accurate enough."

The blond scoffed and shook his head slowly.

"It's not a big deal, really. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't exaggerating about… It doesn't matter."

"He wasn't," Vincent said before biting into a cookie. "And it does matter, although perhaps not in the way you think. Angeal shouldn't have said anything to you. What we do in the field should remain in the field unless it directly affects the company. That's what we have reports for—by the way, I filed mine not long ago, if you want to check it.

"What I did back there might've broken protocol but it didn't affect the company. On the contrary, the two moles and Avalanche's leader are alive and undergoing questioning. Did I overreact with Ginga? Perhaps. I know I felt myself lose some control over Chaos and he stepped in more than was absolutely necessary, but that son of a bitch kidnapped a member of our family and one of the few people I can entrust top level matters to. I hurt him on purpose, yes, and I did it out of revenge, yes. And I would do it all over again, particularly if my stepping in will keep Tseng from doing something stupid like, say, kill a target out of sheer anger and frustration."

Rufus couldn't help a small grin from curving his lips.

"That's what bothered Angeal the most, I think. That you didn't seem at all sorry about the way things went down. He's also worried about your reputation. The few survivors of the raid claim it was a demon that attacked them. 'Shinra's Dark Avenger', I think they're calling you."

Vincent laughed and a bit of Chaos's own mirth came through.

"I didn't even fully transform into Chaos," he said after getting his breath back.

Rufus shrugged, stealing another cookie from Vincent with a small smile.

"I didn't think you'd mind. I actually told Angeal it might work to our advantage."

"As a deterrent, you mean?" Rufus simply nodded and Vincent did the same. "You're right, I don't really mind. I'm not on the field enough for anyone to recognise me and having a bit of a myth might make Avalanche and other groups like them think twice before messing with us again."

His regular phone vibrated in his pocket and he frowned when he saw it was Gast calling. Knowing Elena was in good hands with Rufus, Vincent excused himself and took the call in the hallway.

"Professor? Is something wrong?"

"_Not exactly. I just wanted to let you know I've gone through all of the files you brought back pertaining to you and the project Hojo called Fail-Safe."_

Vincent didn't like Gast's tone and he felt his stomach knotting.

"Yes?"

"_I think you need to have Cloud deliver the dossier to you and read it as soon as possible. I know you want to stay by Elena's side, but this is just as important, Vincent. It's not life or death yet but it could be."_

_Fucking Hojo,_ Chaos seethed.

"All right. I'll arrange things so Elena's not alone and then I'll return to my apartment and read the files."

"_Good. I'll make sure Cloud gets you copies of the relevant video and audio tapes so you can check those, too. Call me as soon as you're done, I don't care how late or early."_

"Will do."

He disconnected the call with a curse and raked a hand through his hair.

_When will this storm end?_

He was surprised to find Elena awake when he returned to her room. Rufus was beaming next to her and had completely forgotten to call a nurse or doctor to check on the blonde Turk.

Elena smiled when she saw Vincent approach and tried to say something but the gunman stopped her.

"Shh, Lena. Don't exert yourself." He took her hand in his and squeezed gently, sighing in relief. "It's really good to see you awake, Bushy-tail."

"Bushy-tail?"

Vincent blushed a little, realising his slip-up, and shrugged.

"I'll explain later. Right now we need to get a doctor here to check on her and…" He looked apologetically at Elena. "I'm sorry, Lena, but I'll have to leave you in Rufus's care shortly."

Elena frowned but it was Rufus that spoke up.

"What? Why?"

"It was Gast just now on the phone. He wants me to go over some of the files we brought from Nibelheim right away."

Rufus's blue eyes widened slightly and he nodded.

"I understand. I'll stay with Elena for as long as I can. If I have to leave for any reason, I'll make sure someone stays with her at all times."

"Thank you, Rufus."

Vincent smiled at Elena and kissed her cheek.

"Rest up, Elena. I'll come see you as soon as I can."

She smiled at him and waved with just her fingers as he stepped out of the room.

Once outside, Vincent called Cloud and arranged to meet him outside of his apartment.

Cloud was already there when Vincent arrived, carrying a file box with tapes—video and audio—, a tape player, and two binders. One Vincent recognised from Nibelheim and the other seemed to be a compilation of other files and notes Gast had put together for him.

The blond Soldier smiled when he saw Vincent but there was mild concern in his mako infused eyes.

"Are you sure your eye will be all right, Vincent?"

The gunman smiled as he took the box from the younger man.

"Yes. No need to worry, Cloud. Thanks for everything."

"No problem. If there's anything else you need, just give me a call."

"Actually…" Vincent pondered his request for a minute before deciding to voice it. "Elena just woke up. Rufus is with her but I don't know how long he can stay with her, and we don't want her or Kunsel to be on their own. If the need arises…"

"I'll stay with her," Cloud said cheerily. "I'll bring her some flowers and candy. Tifa made fudge last night and I'm sure there's still some left."

Vincent smiled and, leaving the box on the floor, hugged Cloud. The blond seemed at a loss for a moment but returned the embrace.

"Thank you, Cloud."

"Like I said, anything I can do to help." His expression turned serious as Vincent picked up the box and opened the door to his apartment. "Vincent… whatever is in those files…" Not really knowing how to go on, Cloud simply shook his head. "We're all here for you. There's no need to shoulder anything on your own."

Not wanting to repeat himself, Vincent simply nodded and entered his apartment.

With a heavy sigh, he locked the door behind him and left the box on the couch while preparing tea. A quick glance at the clock on the wall told him it was seven in the morning; that would make it Wednesday already. He hadn't slept properly in over twenty-four hours but he found he wasn't sleepy or particularly tired. That's how it used to be during that first year back from Nibelheim, back when he could function for over seventy-two hours with little naps in between, sometimes without them. When eating was more of an acquire taste than a habit, when leaving his apartment seemed an insurmountable challenge.

He looked at the box and found himself not wanting to go anywhere near it.

_You won't go back to those bleak days. You have the Turks now, plus Cloud, Rufus, even Tifa and Kunsel. Whatever is in those files is in the past. You only need to focus on whatever can help our current situation. _

Vincent exhaled shakily and decided to prepare his tea Wutain style. He took his time, meditating over each motion and its meaning, taking in the scents and sounds around him. He drank the first cup in the kitchen, thinking of nothing but the beverage in his hands, repeating a prayer to Leviathan that his mother had taught him as a child.

The memories of simpler, more peaceful times enveloped him and eased some of his agitation. He went around the apartment lighting incense and stopped at the little shrine he kept in his studio to meditate for a few minutes before returning to the living room and staring at the file box.

With a decisive nod, he carried it to his studio and unloaded the contents on his recently cleared desk. He soon realised that Gast had labeled everything with numbers so Vincent would know the order in which he should go over the information. Once he had everything arranged in the proper order, he steeled himself and began to read.

—

Hi, all!

Sorry it took so long to upload this—I had a heck of a week. Next chapter is in the works and should be up in about a week or so. Then I'm afraid you'll have to wait until after Valentine's for chapter 9 'cause I gotta work on my girlfriend's present!

Hope you enjoy this! Thanks for everyone's reviews and faves/follows—means a lot to me!


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